tibrar;^  of  trhe  trheolc^ical  ^tminavy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


'd^t- 


XTbe  flational  (Iburcbes, 

EDITED   BY 

P.  H.  DITCHFIELD,  M.A.,  F.S.A.,  F.R.Hist.S. 


THE 

CHURCH   IN   AMERICA. 


G.PhsU2pA.S<jn.,32Fle££Sz.  Lotuiort. 


WELLS    GARDNER     DARTON     &     Co. 


THE 


CHURCH    IN    AMERICA 


/        BV 

LEIGHTON   COLEMAN,   S.T.D.,  LL.D., 

BISHOP   OF   DELAWARE,    U.S.A. 


2m(t!)  iHap. 


NEW   YORK: 

JAMES    POTT    AND    CO. 

ASTOR  PLACE. 


PREFACE 

This  volume  belongs  to  a  series  intended  to  give  a  com- 
prehensive history  of  National  Churches,  In  sending 
forth  that  portion  which  treats  of  the  American  Church, 
it  may  be  difificult  to  convince  some  of  my  readers  of 
the  propriety  of  calling  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
the  National  Church  of  America. 

Strictly  speaking,  there  has  not  been  for  many  years 
any  religious  body  in  the  United  States  which  could, 
either  from  recognition  by  law  and  custom  or  from 
numerical  predominance,  claim  to  be  the  National 
Church. 

But  when  it  is  remembered  that  in  the  beginning, 
what  is  popularly  known  as  the  Episcopal  Church  was 
by  charter  and  law  established  in  the  older  colonies ; 
that  more  than  any  other  ecclesiastical  organisation 
she  had  to  do  with  constituting  the  nation,  and,  in  the 
period  of  the  Civil  War,  with  its  maintenance  and 
reunion;  and  that,  while  conservative  and  Catholic 
in  her  character,  she  yet  is  distinctively  American  in 
spirit — there  would  seem  to  be  ample  justification 
for  thus  using  the  title  American  Church.  A  still 
further  warrant  for  this  use  may  be  found  in  the 
present  position  and  prospects  of  this  Church,  as 
described  in  the  concluding  chapter. 


vi  PREFACE 

I  trust  that  in  my  own  employment  of  this  title,  I 
may  not  be  thought  to  have  overlooked  the  Dominion 
of  Canada,  which  is  so  integral  and  important  a  part 
of  America.  The  term  America  in  the  present  volume 
is  applied  as  it  is  generally  understood  in  England. 

During  the  many  months  in  which,  amid  divers 
other  engagements,  I  have  been  occupied  upon  the 
work,  valuable  aid  has  been  received  from  numerous 
kind  friends,  to  all  of  whom  I  gratefully  acknowledge 
my  indebtedness. 

I  especially  thank  those  who  have  been  good  enough 
to  examine  certain  parts  of  the  manuscript  relating  to 
themselves.  In  this  manner  there  has  been  ensured, 
for  at  least  some  portions  of  the  History,  that  accuracy 
with  which  I  have  honestly  endeavoured  to  write  the 
whole  of  it. 

LEIGHTON  COLEMAN. 


BisHOPSTEAD,  Wilmington,  Delaware, 
Febrtiary  1 8,  1895. 


CONTENTS 


I.   AMERICA    COLONISED    FOR    CHRISTIANITY    AND 

THE  CHURCH       

II.   CHURCH-PLANTING   IN   THE  OLDER   COLONIES 

III.  CHURCH-GROWTH  UNTIL  THE   REVOLUTION 

IV.  THE  PURITANS,  THE  WESLEYS,  AND  WHITEFIELD 
V.   VAIN   EFFORTS  TO   OBTAIN   THE  EPISCOPATE 

VI.   BISHOP  SEABURY'S   CONSECRATION 
VII.   THE    TRANSITION    PERIOD     OF     THE     CHURCH' 

HISTORY 

VIII.   THE  CHURCH   FULLY   ORGANISED 
IX.    QUESTIONS   OF   UNITY,    IDENTITY,    AND   RIGHTS 
X.   A   PERIOD   OF  SLOW  AND   GRADUAL  GROWTH 
XI.   SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S   LEADERS 
XII.   THE  CIVIL  WAR  AND   REUNION    . 

XIII.  ECCLESIASTICAL  CONTROVERSIES 

XIV.  ORGANISATION    FOR   MISSIONARY  WORK 
XV.   AMERICAN  CHURCHES   IN   EUROPE 

XVI.   THE  church's   EDUCATIONAL  WORK  . 

XVII.   EFFORTS   IN   BEHALF  OF  CHURCH   UNITY 

XVIII.   REVISION  OF    THE   PRAYER-BOOK    AND   OF   THE 

HYMNAL        


I 

i8 

50 

67 

86 

113 

128 

158 

172 

197 

221 

248- 

256 

264 

298 

303 
312 

319 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAGE 

XIX.   LATER   ECCLESIASTICAL  LEADERS           .          .           .  327 
XX.   ADDITIONAL      HISTORY     OF     TRINITY      CHURCH, 

NEW  YORK            .           .                     •           •           •           •  335 

XXI.   SOME  MINOR  DETAILS   OF  CHURCH   LIFE      .           .  338 

XXII.   RECENT   GROWTH   AND   PROSPECTS        .           .          .  346 

CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  PRINCIPAL  EVENTS  348 

THE     AMERICAN     EPISCOPATE — SUCCESSION     OF 

BISHOPS 350 

LIST   OF  PRESIDING   BISHOPS  .  .  .  -357 

LIST  OF  GENERAL  CONVENTIONS            .           .           .  357 


APPENDICES 

A.  LETTERS  OF  THE  REV.   DR.   FOGG       . 

B.  LETTERS   OF  THE  REV.   DR.   SEABURY 

C.  THE  SEABURY   "cONCORDATE" 

D.  INSTRUCTIONS  TO  BISHOP  SOUTHGATE 
AUTHORITIES 


359 
361 
367 
372 

375 


INDEX 


379 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH 
IN   AMERICA 


CHAPTER  I 

AMERICA    COLONISED  FOR   CHRISTIANITY  AND 
THE  CHURCH 

The  religious  design  of  the  early  charters — Martin  Frobisher's  expedi- 
tion— Sir  Francis  Drake's,  and  the  first  Church  service  in  the 
United  States — The  first  charters  and  the  colonisation  of  Virginia 
—Sir  Walter  Raleigh  and  Lord  De  la  Warr — The  first  baptisms^ 
First  Church  services  in  New  England — Jamestown  and  the  Rev. 
Robert  Hunt — Captain  John  Smith  and  Pocahontas — The  Popham 
colony — Nicholas  Ferrar  and  George  Herbert — "  Lawes,  divine, 
niorall  and  martiall " — Alexander  Whitaker — The  Church  prior  to 
the  Puritans — The  early  bias  Anglican  rather  than  Roman. 

The  love  of  adventure,  joined  to  the  expectation  of 
gain  and  fame,  had  no  httle  influence  with  some  who 
engaged  in  the  early  expeditions  from  Europe  to 
America.  There  was  in  others  who  took  part  in  them  a 
sincere  desire  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  their  fellows. 
These  were  literally  heathen,  sitting  in  gross  dark- 
ness. Stories  of  their  ignorance  and  superstition 
reached  the  ears  of  the  Christian  court  of  England, 
and  it  is  gratifying  to  observe  how  prominently  and 
earnestly  their  conversion  was  laid  as  a  duty  upon 
those  to  whom  the  various  royal  charters  were  issued. 


2         HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

It  is  no  wonder,  therefore,  that,  in  making  up  the 
complement  of  a  fleet,  the  chaplain  was  considered 
as  no  less  necessary  than  the  admiral. 

An  interesting  and  important  fact  bearing  directly 
upon  this  point  has. been  brought  out  the  more  distinctly 
by  recent  researches  among  the  Spanish  archives,  espe- 
cially the  Simancas  papers,^  viz.,  that  much  of  the 
energy  and  perseverance  which  characterised  these 
early  attempts  to  colonise  North  America  arose  from 
the  desire  of  the  English  court — and,  one  may  say, 
the  English  Church — to  circumvent  similar  designs 
formed  by  the  Spanish  court — and,  one  again  may  say, 
by  the  Roman  Church. 

Perhaps  it  is  needless  to  add  that  Great  Britain 
sturdily  ignored  all  such  claims  to  these  parts  as  were 
based  upon  the  bull  of  Pope  Alexander  VI.,  which 
granted  to  the  United  Kingdom  of  Castile  and  Aragon 
the  proprietorship  of  the  Western  Hemisphere. 

In  Martin  Frobisher's  expedition,  which  sailed  from 
Harwich,  May  31,  1578,  there  was  a  godly  and  learned 
clergyman,  "  one  Maister  Wolfall,"  who,  out  of  mis- 
sionary zeal,  devoted  himself  to  the  work  of  an  evan- 
gelist, and  was,  it  is  believed,  the  first  minister  of  the 
English  Church  who  laboured  in  North  America.  We 
have  a  record  of  his  having  celebrated  the  Holy  Com- 
munion on  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay. 

Sir  Francis  Drake  carried  with  him  as  his  chaplain 
the  Rev.  Francis  (or  Martin)  Fletcher.  Upon  his  dis- 
covering, on  or  about  S.  John  Baptist's  Day,  1579. 
tlie  coast  of  Oregon,  which  at  present  forms  a  part  of 

^  See  "The  Genesis  of  the  United  States,"  by  Alexander  15ro\vn. 


AMERICA  COLONISED  FOR  CHRISTIANITY        3 

the  State  of  California,  religious  services  were  held  on 
land  for  the  space  of  six  weeks.  The  place  of  his 
landing  is  in  dispute,  it  being  either  in  what  has  since 
been  named  San  Francisco  Bay,  or  in  what  is  now 
known  as  Drake's  Bay.^  In  either  case,  Mr.  Fletcher 
would  appear  to  have  been  the  first  clergyman  who 
used  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  in  the  territory  now 
embraced  within  the  United  States.  A  large  company 
of  Indians  (or  red  men)  gathered  from  various  parts  of 
the  country  to  see  the  new-comers.  After  an  address 
by  their  chief,  and  an  offering  of  presents  to  the 
strangers,  the  Indian  women  tore  their  cheeks  with 
their  nails  and  threw  themselves  on  the  ground  at  the 
feet  of  the  invaders.  The  response  made  to  all  this 
by  Drake  was  most  significant.  He  called  his  company 
to  prayer,  in  which  God  was  besought  "  to  open  their 
blinded  eyes  to  the  knowledge  of  Him  and  of  Jesus 
Christ,  the  salvation  of  the  Gentiles."  Psalms  were 
also  sung,  and  several  chapters  of  the  Holy  Bible  were 
read.  Throughout  all  these  devotions,  the  Indians 
were  very  attentive  and  seemed  to  be  deeply  affected.^ 

^  "Narrative  and  Critical  History  of  America,"  by  Justin  Winsor, 
vol.  iii.  p.  70.  In  this  work  will  be  found  an  elaborate  argument  to 
prove  that  the  anchorage  of  Sir  Francis  Drake  was  in  San  Francisco  Bay. 

^  On  July  26,  1892,  the  Assistant-Bishop  of  California  (the  Right 
Rev.  W.  F.  Nichols,  D.D.),  after  a  brief  religious  service,  placed  a  cross 
upon  the  spot  where  it  is  believed  by  some  that  Mr.  Fletcher  first 
officiated,  under  the  eastern  promontory  of  Point  Reyes  Head  in  Drake's 
Bay.  For  an  extended  argument  in  behalf  of  this  claim,  see  Prof. 
George  Davidson's  paper  on  the  subject,  published  in  1890,  by  the 
California  Historical  Society.  The  cross  was  presented  by  the  late 
Mr.  George  W.  Childs,  of  Philadelphia,  who  for  many  years  was  a 
liberal  benefactor  of  the  Church.  Some  of  his  gifts  are  to  be  found  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  in  S.  Margaret's,  Westminster,  and  elsewhere 
in  England. 


4         HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

The  first  charter  for  an  EngHsh  colony  was  granted 
to  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  in  1583.  It  contained  an 
express  provision  to  the  effect  that  the  laws  of  the  new 
settlement  should  "  not  be  against  the  true  Christian 
faith  or  religion  now  professed  in  the  Church  of 
England."  The  "advertisement  "  by  which  this  enter- 
prise was  commended  to  the  public  mentioned,  as  one 
of  its  chief  objects,  "  the  carriage  of  God's  Word  into 
these  mighty  and  vast  countries."  The  honour  of 
God  and  compassion  for  poor  infidels  were  also  speci- 
fied among  the  objects,  "  it  seeming  probable  that  God 
hath  reserved  these  Gentiles  to  be  reduced  into  Chris- 
tian civility  by  the  English  nation."  Of  the  three  laws 
which  Sir  Humphrey  promulgated  on  taking  posses- 
sion of  S.  John's  Harbour,  Newfoundland,  the  first  en- 
joined that  the  colony's  religion  should  be  "in  publique 
exercise  according  to  the  Church  of  England." 

Like  provision  was  made  in  the  patent  granted, 
in  1584,  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh.  Thomas  Heriot  (or 
Hariot),  who  was  the  mathematician  of  the  expedition 
(which,  however,  Sir  Walter  did  not  himself  accom- 
pany), seems  to  have  been  a  diligent  preacher  of  the 
Word.  The  natives  are  said  to  have  listened  eagerly"- 
and  reverently.  This  was  in  Virginia,  so  named  after 
the  virgin  Queen  Elizabeth.  In  1589  Raleigh  assigned 
his  patent  to  a  company  of  merchants,  giving  at  the 
same  time  ^lOO  "in  especial  regard  and  zeal  of  plant- 
ing the  Christian  religion  in  those  barbarous  countries." 
This  donation  is  particularly  noteworthy,  as  being, 
perhaps,  the  first  direct  pecuniary  contribution  for 
missionary  work  in  America. 


AMERICA  COLONISED  FOR  CHRISTIANITY        5 

In  1603  an  expedition  was  fitted  out  by  Bristol 
merchants,  who  were  largely  moved  to  do  so  by  the 
missionary  zeal  of  Richard  Hakluyt,  Prebendary  of  the 
Cathedral  in  that  city. 

Rosier,  the  chronicler  of  Waymouth's  voyage  in 
1605 — some  authorities  give  1602  as  the  date — in 
alluding  to  the  urgency  of  the  natives  that  he  and  his 
companions  should  go  farther  into  the  interior,  says, 
"  We  would  not  hazard  so  hopefull  a  businesse  as  this 
was,  either  for  our  private  or  particular  ends,  being 
more  regardfull  of  a  publicke  good,  and  promulgating 
God's  holy  Church  by  planting  Christianity,  which 
was  the  interest  of  our  adventurers  as  well  as  ours." 

The  charter  granted  in  1606  by  James  I.  to  Virginia 
colonists,  expressly  stipulated  that  "  the  true  Word 
and  service  of  God  be  preached,  planted,  and  used 
according  to  the  rites  and  doctrines  of  the  Church  of 
England ;  not  only  in  the  said  colonies,  but  also,  as 
much  as  might  be,  amongst  the  savages  bordering 
upon  them;"  and  that  "all  persons  should  kindly 
treat  the  savage  and  heathen  people  in  those  parts, 
and  use  all  proper  means  to  draw  them  to  the  true 
service  and  knowledge  of  God." 

An  equally  religious  tone  runs  through  the  subse- 
quent charters  given  to  other  colonies  by  Charles  I., 
Charles  II.,  and  William  and  Mary.  In  the  charter 
issued  by  the  last-named  rulers  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Massachusetts,  liberty  of  conscience  was  assured 
to  all  colonists  except  Papists,  and  the  royal  will  was 
clearly  expressed  to  the  effect  that  "the  inhabitants 
of    said    province    should    be    religiously,    peaceably 


6         HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

governed,  protected,  and  defended,  so  as  their  good 
life  and  orderly  conversation  may  win  the  Indians, 
nativ^es  of  the  country,  to  the  knowledge  and  obedience 
of  the  only  true  God  and  Saviour  of  mankind,  and 
the  Christian  faith." 

After  his  appointment  as  Governor  or  Captain- 
General  of  Virginia,  Thomas,  Lord  De  la  Warr  (from 
whom  one  of  the  original  colonies  in  America  was 
named  Delaware),  accompanied  by  the  Council  and 
adventurers,  attended,  in  1609-10,  Divine  service  in 
the  Temple  Church,  London.  The  preacher  of  the 
Temple  was  William  Crashaw  (father  of  the  poet), 
and  his  sermon  upon  this  occasion  was  full  of  the 
missionary  spirit.  He  set  before  his  hearers  the  duty 
and  honour  of  founding  the  colony  upon  religious 
principles,  and  of  having  as  the  foremost  object  of  the 
expedition  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel.  Addressing 
its  leader,  he  said,  "  Remember  thou  art  a  general  of 
Christian  men,  therefore  principally  look  to  religion." 
This  advice  was  faithfully  followed  by  the  nobleman 
addressed,  who,  throughout  his  career,  showed  much 
interest  in  everything  belonging  to  the  spiritual  welfare 
of  the  colonists. 

In  a  similar  strain,  and  about  the  same  time,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Symonds,  preacher  at  S.  Saviour's,  South- 
wark,  had  addressed  the  same  company.  "The  de- 
struction of  the  deuel's  kingdom"  and  "the  planting 
of  a  church  "  were  the  burden  of  his  discourse. 

Enough  testimony,  perhaps,  has  been  adduced  to 
show  how  largely  the  religious  clement  entered  into 
the  original  schemes  for  the  colonisation  of  the  United 


AMERICA  COLONISED  FOR  CHRISTIANITY        7 

States.  There  will  be  opportunities  later  on  of  show- 
ing how  this  same  element  formed  a  part  of  subse- 
quent schemes. 

We  have  already  noted  the  first  religious  services 
held  by  the  clergy  of  the  Church  of  England  in 
America.  They,  however,  were  not  in  connection 
with  permanent  colonies.  So  far  as  these  are  con- 
cerned, the  first  ecclesiastical  act  on  record  was  per- 
formed, August  13,  1587,  on  the  island  of  Roanoke, 
in  what  is  now  known  as  North  Carolina,  then  a  part 
of  Raleigh's  colony.  It  was  here  that  Mantoe  (or 
Manteo),  an  Indian  chieftain,  much  esteemed  because 
of  his  fidelity  and  kindness  to  the  new  settlers,  was 
baptized.  He  may  be  accounted  the  first  Indian  con- 
vert to  the  Church.  Seven  days  later,  Virginia,  the 
daughter  of  Ananias  and  Eleanor  Dare,  and  grand- 
daughter of  John  White,  the  Governor,  received  the 
same  sacrament,  being,  as  it  is  recorded,  "  the  first 
Christian  borne  in  Virginia." 

In  1602  and  1603,  Gosnold  and  Pring  commanded 
expeditions  which  landed  on  what  is  now  termed  the 
New  England  coast.  These  contained  a  number  of 
devout  men,  among  whom  was  William  (or  Robert) 
Salterne.  Inasmuch  as  he  was  ordained  shortly  after 
his  return  to  England,  there  seems  to  be  good  ground 
for  supposing  that  he  officiated  as  lay  reader,  and 
thus  may  have  been  the  first  to  use  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  in  those  parts. 

It  was  in  1605  that  Waymouth  or  (Weymouth) 
made  his  voyage  to  New  England  in  the  Archangel. 
Some  contend  that  the  river  explored  by  him  on  his 


8         HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

arrival  was  the  S.  George's.  Others,  with  perhaps 
greater  reason,  say  that  it  was  the  Kennebec.  In 
either  case,  we  know  that,  in  the  cabin  of  his  vessel. 
Divine  service  was  held  habitually,  most  probably 
by  himself.  The  savages  who  attended  this  worship 
were  much  impressed.  Some  of  them  were  taken 
to  PZngland,  where  they  were  educated  in  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity.  These  returned  in  1607  to  America 
with  the  Popham  colony,^  and  it  cannot  be  doubted 
that  they  became  missionaries  among  their  fellow  red 
men.  The  historian  of  this  voyage  declares  "  a  public 
good,  and  the  zeal  of  promulgating  God's  holy  Church 
by  planting  Christianity,  to  be  the  sole  intent  of 
the  honourable  setter-forth  of  this  discovery."  The 
"  setter-forth "  was  the  Earl  of  Arundel,,  a  loyal 
Churchman. 

The  next  evidence  we  have  of  public  Church  services 
is  furnished  in  the  records  of  the  company  which 
landed  at  Jamestown,  Virginia,  May  13,  1607.^  Their 
chaplain  was  the  Rev.  Robert  Hunt,  M.A.,  some  time 
Vicar  of  Reculver,  in  Kent.  This  living  he  resigned 
in  1602,  interesting  himself  more  directly  in  plans 
for  colonising  Virginia.  He  was  chosen  by  the  first 
President  of  the  colony,  Edward-Maria  Wingfield, 
and  by  Dr.  Bancroft,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
as  the  chaplain  of  the  emigrants.  Immediately  upon 
their  arrival,  arrangements  were  made  for  Divine 
service.     An  old   sail  served  for  an  awning,  rails  of 

'  Sec  p.  I  r. 

'  On  April  29,  1607,  a  cross  was  planted  at  Cape  Henry,  so  named 
in  honour  of  the  Prince  of  Wales. 


AMERICA   COLONISED  FOR  CHRISTIANITY        g 

wood  for  walls,  unhewed  trees  for  seats,  and  a  bar 
of  wood  nailed  to  two  trees  for  a  pulpit.  An  equally 
rustic  altar  was  erected,  and  here  the  Holy  Communion 
was  celebrated  for  the  first  time,  on  the  third  Sunday 
after  Trinity,  June  21,  1607. 

Before  long,  a  simple  church-building  was  put  up, 
and  daily  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  were  read 
there  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Hunt.^  The  Holy  Com- 
munion was  administered  once  at  least  in  every  three 
months.^  The  first  recorded  marriage  was  by  him  in 
1608.  It  was  then  that  the  first  white  woman  was 
seen  in  the  colony,  and  she  was  wedded  almost  inir 
mediately  after  her  arrival.  After  the  chaplain's  death, 
the  daily  offices  (with  reading  of  homilies  on  Sun- 
days) were  continued  regularly  until  the  arrival  of 
other  clergymen. 

All  accounts  agree  in  regard  to  the  ability  and 
worthiness  of  Mr.  Hunt,  who  never  left  Virginia 
after  his  arrival.  By  his  unflagging  zeal  and  con- 
stancy, as  well  as  by  his  consistency  of  life,  he  won 
and  retained  the  respect  and  the  affection  of  the 
entire  population.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  estimate 
the  wide  and  permeating  influence  exerted  by  this 
faithful  missionary  in  forming  for  good  the  character 
of  the  infant  colony. 

To  this  same  period   belongs  Captain  John  Smith, 

^  The  worthy  sexton  of  this  Ijuilding,  among  other  ways  of  showing 
his  reverent  appreciation  of  its  character,  was  in  the  habit  of  decorating 
it  with  the  choicest  flowers  he  could  obtain. 

-  It  is  said  that  when  the  store  of  liquors  belonging  to  these  early 
settlers  was  reduced  to  two  gallons  each  of  "sack"  and  aqua-vitce, 
the  first  was  reserved  for  use  at  the  Holy  Communion, 


lo        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

who,  because  of  his  various  qualifications,  eventually 
became  the  President  of  the  Council,  and  whose  Hfe 
was  saved  by  the  intervention  of  Pocahontas.^  It  is 
related  of  him  that,  in  his  many  voyages  along  the 
waters  of  Virginia  and  Maryland,  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  having  daily  public  prayers.  The  Hon. 
George  Bancroft  says  of  him,  "  He  was  the  father 
of  Virginia,  the  true  leader  who  first  planted 
the  Saxon  race  within  the  borders  of  the  United 
States." 2 

About  the  same  time  that  Mr.  Hunt  began  his 
ministrations  in  Virginia,  another  priest  of  the  Church 
of  England  was  officiating  in  New  England.  This 
was  Mr.  Richard  Seymour,  thought  by  good  autho- 
rities to  have  been  the  great-grandson  of  the  Duke  of 
Somerset.  He  had  come  with  the  Mary  and  Johji, 
whose  captain  was  Raleigh  Gilbert,  and  the  City  of 
God,  commanded  by  Captain  Popham.^  With  Sir 
John  Popham,  Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges  was  associated 
in  obtaining  the  charter  under  which  this  colony  set 
sail.  He  was  a  firm  and  aggressive  Churchman,  who 
seems  to  have  desired  by  all  lawful  means  to  establish 

^  In  recent  times,  the  romantic  story  of  Smith's  deliverance  by 
Pocahontas  has  been  declared  mythical.  On  the  other  hand,  some 
careful  critics  still  maintain  a  belief  in  its  authenticity. 

^  "  History  of  the  United  States,"  vol.  i.  p.  138. 

2  The  first  Christian  teacher  in  Maine  would  appear  to  have  been 
L'Escarbot,  a  Roman  Catholic  lawyer,  who  instructed  his  French  com- 
panions on  an  island  in  the  S.  Croix  as  early  as  1604  ;  but  unques- 
tionably Seymour  was  the  first  clergyman  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  the 
English  tongue  (see  "  Memoir  of  Bishop  Burgess,"  pp.  241  sqq.).  We 
have  already  seen  how  it  is  likely  that  lay  services  were  held  there 
earlier  (see  p.  7).  Cartwright's  expedition  reached  Booth's  Bay  on 
Whitsunday,  1605. 


AMERICA  COLONISED  FOR  CHRISTIANITY      ii 

the  Church  of  England  in  the  New  World.  It  was, 
some  say,  on  Sunday,  August  9,  1607  (others  say  in 
May  of  that  year),  that  the  company  landed  on 
the  island  Qf  Monhegan,  subsequently  known  as  S. 
George's  Island,  near  the  peninsula  of  Sabino  in 
Maine.  By  the  side  of  a  cross,  which,  no  doubt, 
had  been  previously  erected  by  some  of  the  converted 
Indians,^  Mr.  Seymour  and  his  company  worshipped 
God  in  the  familiar  words  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer.  He  is  the  first  Christian  priest  known  to 
have  ministered  in  New  England.  There  is,  therefore, 
no  room  for  the  contention  that  colonisation  in  those 
parts  arose  among  Nonconformists,  whose  planting 
was  not  until  1620.  On  the  19th  of  August  1607, 
these  voyagers  again  went  on  shore  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Sagadehoc  (now  the  Kennebec)  and  engaged  in 
public  worship,  the  occasion  being  the  beginning  of 
the  fort  which  was  built  there,  and  named  S.  George. 
After  a  sermon  by  Mr.  Seymour,  the  commission  of 
the  President  (George  Popham)  was  read  aloud. 
Then  were  promulgated  "  the  laws  to  be  observed," 
in  which  it  was  especially  enjoined  that  "  the  true 
Word  and  service  of  God  and  Christian  faith  be 
preached,  planted,  and  used,"  among  both  colonists 
and  savages.  In  the  course  of  a  few  months,  the 
President  addressed  a  letter  to  the  King,  in  which 
he  expressed  his  belief  that  "in  these  regions  the 
glory  of  God  may  be  easily  evidenced."  Before  the 
end  of  the  year,  a  church  building  was  erected,  which 
is  claimed  by  some  as  the  first  within  the  colonies. 
^  The  fruit,  doubtless,  of  Waymouth's  expedition  (see  p.  8). 


12        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

The  one  at  Jamestown,  Virginia,   cannot  have  been 
much,  if  any,  younger. 

A  new  charter  for  Virginia  colonists  was  granted  in 
1609,  and  the  "body  politick"  thus  created  numbered 
some  of  England's  most  distinguished  clergymen, 
noblemen,  and  merchants  of  the  day.  Among  them 
was  the  devout  Nicholas  Ferrar,  who,  after  he  had 
taken  orders,  was  very  much  inclined  to  go  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  aborigines  of  America.^  In  his  will  he 
left  ^300  for  the  evangelisation  of  Indians  in  connec- 
tion with  the  proposed  University  of  Henrico,^  It  was 
he  who  was  intrusted  with  the  saintly -George  Herbert's 
last  manuscripts,  in  which  these  lines  occurred : — 

*'  Religion  stands  on  tiptoe  in  our  land, 
Ready  to  pass  to  the  American  strand." 

The  Vice-Chancellor  of  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge strenuously  objected  to  these  lines  being  pub- 
lished, and,  when  Ferrar  finally  overcame  his  scruples, 
remarked  that  he  hoped  that  Mr.  Herbert  might  not 
be  accounted  an  inspired  poet ! 

Owing  to  delays  of  various  kinds,  it  was  not  until 
May  23,  1610,  that  the  first  part  of  the  newly  formed 
company  landed  in  Virginia.  A  disheartening  wel- 
come awaited  them.  The  rude  yet  hallowed  church 
was  in  ruins,  and  but  few  worshippers  were  left.  The 
church    was    soon    partially    repaired,    and    the    Rev. 

^  The  elder  brother,  John,  of  tliis  worthy  man  was  King's  Counsel  for 
the  plantations  of  Virginia,  and  frequent  meetings  of  the  Council  were 
held  in  their  father's  house. 

-  See  p.  18. 


AMERICA  COLONISED  FOR  CHRISTIANITY      13 

Richard  Bucke,  an  Oxford  man,  offered  there  the 
familiar  prayers  and  praises  of  their  fatherland. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  the  whole  enter- 
prise was  about  to  be  abandoned.  Its  promoters  were 
indeed  on  the  eve  of  sailing  for  Newfoundland,  and 
thence  home,  when  Lord  De  la  Warr  and  his  squadron 
arrived.  His  first  act,  on  gaining  the  shore,  was  to 
kneel  down  and  engage  in  private  devotions.  His 
arrival  reanimated  the  almost  hopeless  colony.  The 
church  was  at  once  fully  repaired  and  beautified,  and 
the  daily  worship  resumed. 

The  use  of  the  following  form  t)f  daily  prayer  was 
enjoined  upon  the  colonists  shortly  after  Lord  De  la 
Warr's  arrival : — 

"And  seeing  Thou  hast  honoured  vs  to  choose  vs 
out  to  beare  Thy  name  unto  the  Gentiles  ;  we  there- 
fore beseech  Thee  to  bless  vs,  and  this  our  plantation 
which  we  and  our  nation  haue  begun  in  Thy  fear  and 
for  Thy  glory.  .  .  .  And  seeing,  Lord,  the  highest 
end  of  our  plantation  here  is  to  set  vp  the  standard 
and  display  the  banner  of  Jesus  Christ,  euen  here 
where  Satan's  throne  is.  Lord  let  our  labour  be 
blessed  in  laboring  the  conversion  of  the  heathen. 
And  because  Thou  vsest  not  to  work  such  mighty 
works  by  vnholy  means.  Lord  sanctifie  our  spirits, 
and  giue  vs  holy  harts,  that  so  we  may  be  Thy 
instruments  in  this  most  glorious  work.  .  .  .  And 
seeing  by  Thy  motion  and  work  in  our  harts,  we 
have  left  our  warme  nests  at  home,  and  put  our  Hues 
into  our  hands,  principally  to  honour  Thy  name 
and  aduance  the  Kingdome  of  Thy  Son,  Lord  giue  vs 


14        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

leave  to  commit  our  Hues  into  Thy  hands ;  let  Thy 
angels  be  about  vs,  and  let  vs  be  as  Angels  of  God 
sent  to  this  people.  .  .  .  Lord  blesse  England  our 
sweete  natiue  country,  save  it  from  Popery,  this  land 
from  heathenisme,  and  both  from  Atheisme.  And  Lord 
hear  their  praiers  for  vs  and  vs  for  them,  and  Christ 
Jesus  our  glorious  Mediator  for  vs  all.     Amen." 

Many  disorders  needed  to  be  rectified,  and  in  doing 
so  it  was  thought  best  to  enact  some  very  stringent 
regulations.  In  1611,  chiefly  under  the  influence  of 
Sir  Thomas  Smith,  a  series  of  "  Lawes,  divine,  morall 
and  martiall  "  were  promulgated.  Impious  or  malicious 
speaking  against  the  Trinity,  or  against  the  known 
articles  of  the  Christian  faith,  was  punishable  by 
death.  For  the  first  offence  in  blasphemy  or  un- 
lawful oaths,  a  severe  punishment  was  ordained ;  a 
bodkin  was  thrust  through  the  tongue  for  the  second ; 
for  the  third,  death  was  to  ensue.  Death  was  the 
penalty  also  for  any  word  or  act  in  derision  or  despite 
of  the  Holy  Bible.  Unworthy  demeanour  towards 
the  clergy  entailed  a  whipping  on  the  offender.  Every 
one  was  obliged,  after  due  preparation  at  home,  to 
attend  the  daily  services  in  the  church.  Failure  to 
do  so  was  subjected  to  three  grades  of  punishment 
— loss  of  a  day's  wages,  whipping,  six  months  in 
the  galleys.  As  the  third  penalty  for  absence  from 
church,  death  was  sometimes  threatened. 

All  persons  were  compelled  to  give  an  account  of 
their  faith  and  religion,  and,  if  in  want  of  instruction, 
to  repair  to  the  clergyman.  Neglect  to  go  to  him  for 
this  purpose  was  to  be  punished   by  whipping — one 


AMERICA  COLONISED  FOR  CHRISTIANITY      15 

whipping  for  the  first  offence,  two  whippings  for  the 
second,  and,  if  persisted  in,  a  whipping  every  day 
until  the  law  in  this  respect  was  fulfilled. 

These  ordinances  do  not  seem  to  have  been  en- 
forced to  any  extent,  but  no  doubt  their  deterrent 
influence  contributed  to  the  good  morals  of  a  com- 
munity which,  without  some  such  regulations,  might 
have  become  much  more  difficult  to  control. 

Among  the  clergymen  who  came  out  at  the  earnest 
request  of  the  Council,  were  two  well-known  Cambridge 
men,  Alexander  Whitaker — son  of  the  famous  Master 
of  S.  John's  College — and  Mr.  Glover,  from  Bedford- 
shire. They  had  comfortable  livings  at  home,  and  were 
much  respected  by  their  parisliioners ;  but,  moved  by 
a  fervent  desire  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  they 
cheerfully  turned  their  backs  upon  ease  and  emolument, 
and  deaf  ears  to  the  remonstrances  of  their  friends. 

Whitaker's  first  field  comprised  Bermuda  Hundred 
and  Henrico  City.  Such  was  his  devotion  that  he 
earned  the  name  of  "the  Apostle  of  Virginia."  At  in- 
tervals, he  sent  home  most  earnest  and  cogent  appeals 
for  fresh  recruits  and  for  additional  pecuniary  means. 
It  was  he  who  instructed,  and  baptized  by  the  name  of 
Rebecca,  the  Indian  princess  Pocahontas  (daughter  of 
Powhatan,  the  most  powerful  chieftain  of  those  parts), 
of  whom  so  much  that  is  romantic  has  been  written.^ 

*  See  p.  10.  She  was  soon  married  to  an  English  widower,  John 
Rolfe,  who  took  great  pride  in  the  many  and  marked  attentions  paid 
her  on  the  occasion  of  her  visit  to  England  in  1616.  Bishop  King 
of  London  was  one  of  those  who  entertained  her.  A  better  under- 
standing between  the  two  races  was  one  of  the  results  of  this  alliance. 
She  died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-two,  leaving  one  son,  Thomas,  from 
whom  some  families  inMrginia  ofhi"h  social  rank  trace  tlieir  de-cent. 


i6        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

The  church  at  Jamestown  was  the  scene  of  the 
first  recorded  meeting  of  a  body  of  legislators  (known 
as  the  House  of  Burgesses)  duly  elected  for  the  pro- 
motion of  civil  and  religious  education.  It  was  held, 
July  30,  1 61 9,  under  the  presidency  of  Sir  George 
Yeardley,  and  was  attended  by  two  members  from  each 
of  the  eleven  boroughs  then  existing.  Measures  were 
adopted  looking  to  the  better  maintenance  of  ministers 
and  of  public  services,  the  protection  and  evangelising 
of  the  Indians,  the  repression  of  vice  and  inmiorality, 
and  the  erection  of  an  university  or  college. 

Many  of  the  facts  already  related  are  all  the  more 
noteworthy,  inasmuch  as  they  prove  that  the  Church, 
in  her  provision  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people, 
was  considerably  in  advance  of  the  Puritans,  for  whom 
the  honour  of  originally  making  such  provision  is 
frequently  claimed.  The  foundations  of  both  Church 
and  State  were  laid,  even  in  New  England,  before  the 
Leyden  Pilgrims  had  set  sail. 

And  even  among  the  early  Puritans,  there  were 
many  who  distinctly  refused  to  be  known  as  sepa- 
ratists from  the  Church.  In  this  category  we  may 
place  Arthur  Lake,  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells  (161 6), 
who  was  so  greatly  interested  in  the  colonisation 
scheme  as  bearing  upon  the  evangelisation  of  America, 
that  he  declared  that  he  would  himself  go  thither, 
except  for  his  age.  It  was  a  clergyman  of  the  Church, 
the  Rev.  John  White  (a  friend  of  Lake),  who,  in  1625, 
joined  Roger  Conant  in  planting  a  settlement  at  Salem 
on  Massachusetts  Bay. 

Before  passing  from  a  consideration  of  the  events  in 


AMERICA  COLONISED  FOR  CHRISTIANITY      17 

connection  with  the  early  settlements  of  North  America, 
it  may  be  interesting  to  observe  that  the  chief  and 
almost  only  planting  of  nations  through  emigration  of 
which  we  have  any  reliable  accounts  has  been  during 
the  last  three  centuries,  and  such  emigration  has 
been  exclusively  from  Christian  lands. 

It  may  also  be  interesting  to  surmise  what  the 
character  of  North  America  would  have  been,  had 
Columbus,  resisting  the  counsel  of  Pinzon,  sailed 
westward,  according  to  his  own  original  plan.  In  all 
probability,  he  would  have  landed  on  the  coasts  of 
what  is  now  known  as  the  United  States,  and  that 
country  would  have  received  its  religious  bias  from  a 
Roman  Catholic  population.  It  would  seem  to  many 
to  have  been  a  merciful  intervention  of  Providence 
that  its  character  should  have  been  determined  by  the 
adherents  of  the  Anglican  Church.  This  is  all  the 
more  evident  when  we  reflect  upon  the  fact  that, 
although  the  United  States  were  colonised  a  century 
later  than  Spanish  America,  and  had  then  a  less  fertile 
territory,  covered  with  dense  forests,  and  with  no 
known  gold  and  silver  deposits,  they  have  yet  far  out- 
stripped that  portion  of  the  continent  in  every  element 
of  greatness  and  prosperity. 

The  same  providential  arrangement  may  be  traced 
at  a  much  later  period  of  American  history,  when,  in 
1803,  Louisiana  was  purchased  from  France,  and  in 
1 8 19  Florida  was  ceded  by  Spain;  both  of  these 
European  countries  being  at  that  time  largely  under 
the  influence  of  the  Roman  Church. 


CHAPTER  II 

CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  THE  OLDER  COLONIES 

Royal  interest  in  the  new  colonies — Put  under  the  charge  of  the 
Bishop  of  London — Church  beginnings  in  Massachusetts — -William 
Blaxton — Opposition  of  the  Puritans — Early  services  in  Maryland 
— In  Maine — In  Delaware — Interest  of  the  Swedes — The  Old 
Swedes'  Church  in  Wilmington— S.  Luke's  Church,  Smithfield^ 
First  services  in  South  Carolina — ^John  Locke — S.  Philip's, 
Charleston — Origin  of  the  Church  in  New  York — Governor 
Fletcher — Taxes  for  Church  purposes  —  Trinity  Church,  New 
York — The  Rev.  William  Vesey — Colonel  Heathcote  —  Early 
Churchmen  in  Connecticut — Conforming  to  the  Church  of  Drs. 
Cutler  and  Johnson  —  Rise  of  the  Church  in  Pennsylvania  — 
Christ  Church,  Philadelphia — The  Rev.  George  Keiih  —  The 
Church  in  New  Jersey — The  Rev.  Thoroughgood  Moore — The 
Rev.  Dr.  Chandler. 

The  intcfest  manifested  by  England  in  the  evangelisa- 
tion of  America,  of  which  the  foregoing  chapter  gives 
so  many  proofs,  continued  to  be  felt  during  the  suc- 
ceeding years.  Early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  the 
King  (James  I.)  issued  a  "brief,"  authorising  and 
requiring  four  collections  to  be  made,  within  two 
years  of  its  promulgation,  in  aid  of  the  missionary 
work  in  Virginia.^  This  is  said  to  have  been  the 
first  document  of  its  kind  ever  put  forth  in  England. 
The  sum  of  ;{^r500  was  raised  by  this  means.     Other 

^  The  establishment  of  a  college  would  seem  to  have  been  determined 
ujion  as  the  chief  means  towards  this  end,  and  Henrico  was  selected 
aa  its  site. 

i8 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      19 

donations  followed,  and  not  a  few  bequests  were 
made,  most  of  them  being  for  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen. 

Sir  Edmund  Plowden,  who  had  a  grant,  from 
Charles  I.,  of  the  land  which  is  now  comprised 
within  the  States  of  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Dela- 
ware, and  Maryland,  assigned  IO,000  acres  to  Sir 
Thomas  Danby,  in  1634,  on  the  condition,  that  he 
should  settle  100  planters  on  this  tract,  stipulating 
further  that  they  should  be  men  who  believed  or 
professed  "  the  three  Christian  Creeds  commonly 
called  the  Apostolical,  Athanasian,  and  Nicene." 

Dr.  King  was  at  this  time  Bishop  of  London,  and 
showed  much  anxiety  for  the  welfare  of  the  work,  to 
which  he  made  the  generous  donation  of  ^^looo. 
His  zeal  in  its  behalf  seemed  to  point  him  out  as  the 
prelate  to  whom  the  spiritual  oversight  of  this  colony 
should  be  committed.  Subsequently,  the  jurisdiction 
over  other  colonies  was  assigned  him.  At  the  instance 
of  Bishop  Compton,  in  1703,  it  was  confirmed  by  an 
"  Order  in  Council "  to  the  occupants  of  this  See. 
The  arrangement  was  continued  without  interruption 
until  after  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  As  late  as 
1804,  one  clergyman  (the  Rev.  Uzal  Ogden,  D.D.,^ 
rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Newark,  New  Jersey),  in 
withdrawing  from  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
claimed  a  right  to  continue  officiating,  by  reason  of 
his  license  from  the  late  Bishop  of  London.  This 
claim,  however,  was  not  recognised  by  the  Con- 
vention of  the  Diocese,  which  proceeded  to  suspend 
^  See  p.  195. 


20        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

him  from  the  further  exercise  of  any  ministerial 
duties. 

As  showing  that  the  same  religious  spirit  which 
animated  the  early  charters  and  instructions  was 
maintained  in  the  later  ones,  the  following  may  be 
quoted  from  the  "  Instructions  to  Sir  William  Berkeley, 
one  of  the  Gentlemen  of  our  Privy  Chamber,  Gover- 
nor of  Virginia,  and  to  the  Council  of  State  there," 
in  the  year  1650  : — ■ 

"Article  ist. — That  in  the  first  place  you  be  careful 
Almighty  God  may  be  duly  and  daily  served,  accord- 
ing to  the  form  of  Religion  established  in  the  Church 
of  England,  both  by  yourself  and  all  the  people  under 
your  charge,  which  may  draw  down  a  Blessing  upon 
all  your  Endeavours.  And  let  every  congregation 
that  hath  an  able  minister,  build  for  him  a  convenient 
Parsonage  House ;  to  which  for  his  better  maintenance 
over  and  above  the  usual  Pension,  to  lay  two  hundred 
acres  of  Glebe  Land ;  for  the  clearing  of  that  Ground 
every  one  of  his  Parishioners,  for  three  3^ears,  shall 
give  some  days'  labour,  of  themselves  and  of  their 
servants :  and  see  that  you  have  a  special  care  that 
the  Glebe  Land  be  set  as  near  his  Parsonage  House 
as  may  be,  and  tliat  it  be  of  the  best  conditioned  Land  ; 
suffer  no  Invasion  in  matters  of  Religion,  and  be  care- 
ful to  appoint  sufficient  and  conformable  ministers  to 
each  Congregation,  that  may  catechise  and  instruct 
them  in  the  Ground  and  principles  of  Religion." 

Of  like  tenor  were  the  "Instructions  for  our  right 
Trusty  and  Well-beloved  Thomas  Lord  Culpeper,  our 
Lieutenant  and  Governor-General  of  our  Colony  and 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      21 

Dominion  of  Virginia  in  America,  September  6th, 
1679:"- 

"And  that  God  Almighty  may  be  more  inchned  to 
bestow  His  Blessing  upon  us,  and  you  in  the  improve- 
ment of  that  our  colony,  you  shall  take  especial  care 
that  He  be  duly  and  devotedly  served  in  all  the 
Government ;  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  as  it  is 
now  established,  read  each  Sunday  and  Holiday,  and 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  administered  according  to  the 
Rights  (sic)  of  the  Church  of  England.  You  shall  be 
careful  that  the  churches  already  Built  there  shall  be 
well  and  orderly  kept,  and  more  built  as  the  .colony 
shall  by  God's  Blessing  be  improved,  and  that  besides 
a  competent  maintenance  to  be  assigned  to  the  minister 
of  each  church,  a  convenient  House  to  be  built,  at  the 
common  charge,  for  each  minister,  and  one  hundred  of 
acres  of  Land  assigned  him  for  a  Glebe  and  exercise 
of  his  industry. 

"  And  our  Will  and  Pleasure  is  that  no  minister  be 
preferred  by  you  to  any  Ecclesiastical  Benefice,  in  that 
our  Colony,  without  a  Certificate  from  the  Lord  Bishop 
of  London,  of  his  being  conformable  to  the  Doctrine 
and  Discipline  of  the  Church  of  England;  and  also 
our  pleasure  is,  that  in  the  Direction  of  Church  affairs, 
the  ministers  be  admitted  into  the  respective  vestries." 

There  was  no  part  of  the  country  where  Church- 
men did  not  settle.  In  the  year  1623,  a  colony  was 
formed  at  Weymouth,  Massachusetts,  and  in  the  com- 
pany was  a  clergyman,  the  Rev.  William  Morrell, 
who  was  an  authorised  Ecclesiastical  Commissioner. 
As  early  as   1621,  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of 


22        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Plymouth  were  distinctly  attached  to  the  Church, 
although  most  of  the  leading  people  were  Puritans. 
We  have  mention  of  a  sturdy  Churchman,  Thomas 
Morton,  of  "  Merry  Mount,"  who  settled  upon  a  planta- 
tion which  subsequently  became  the  site  of  Quincy. 
He  came  from  England  with  something  of  an  estab- 
lishment, before  whom  he  conducted  daily  worship  in 
accordance  with  the  forms  of  the  Church  of  England, 
notwithstanding  the  warnings  of  the  Puritans,  who 
opposed  even  his  public  reading  of  the  Bible.  While  it 
is  quite  likely  that  his  conduct  at  times  was  not  wholly 
becoming,  yet  his  opinion  of  his  Dissenting  neighbours 
may  be  taken  as  none  the  less  indicative  of  what  others 
had  experienced.  In  a  familiar  letter  to  an  English 
correspondent,  he  wrote,  "  I  found  in  these  parts  two 
sorts  of  people,  Christians  and  heathens,  and  these  last 
more  friendly  and  full  of  humanity."  He  was  perse- 
cuted violently,  all  the  more  because  of  the  satires  con- 
tained in  his  "  New  English  Canaan."  He  died  in  Eng- 
land from  the  effects  of  his  imprisonment  at  Boston. 

In  the  year  1623,  William  Blaxton  (spelt  also 
Blackestone),  by  reason  of  having  occupied  a  little 
cottage  on  the  site  of  what  is  now  Boston,  laid  claim 
to  its  possession.  To  some  extent  his  claim  was 
acknowledged.  He  was  a  Cambridge  M.A.,  and  is 
sometimes  described  as  "a  clerk  in  Holy  Orders," 
although  there  is  no  trace  of  any  ecclesiastical  acts  on 
his  part,  nor  at  this  period  of  any  other  clergyman  in 
any  part  of  Massachusetts.  Mather  speaks  of  him  as 
"one  of  the  godly  Episcopalians." 

A  number  of  Churchmen  made  their  homes  in  the 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      23 

neighbourhood  already  described.  Naturally  enough, 
they  soon  began  to  discuss  the  expediency  of  having 
the  Prayer-Book  services.  Their  attempt  to  introduce 
them  aroused  the  suspicions  of  the  Puritans,  and  these 
latter  made  overtures  to  them,  looking  to  an  abandon- 
ment of  their  discipline  and  worship.  Blaxton  was 
ready  enough  with  his  answer  to  their  proposals.  "  I 
came,"  said  he,  "from  England,  because  I  did  not  like 
the  lord-bisJiops,  but  I  cannot  join  with  you,  because 
I  would  not  be  under  the  lord-brethren.^^  ^ 

Among  those  who  emigrated  to  Salem,  in  1629,  with 
the  Rev.  Francis  Higginson,  were  two  brothers,  John 
and  Samuel  Brown.  They  were  held  in  high  esteem 
at  home,  but  because  they  could  not  endure  the 
slanders  heaped  upon  the  Church  by  the  Puritans, 
and  therefore  worshipped  with  their  Prayer-Books 
in  their  own  house  (where  their  neighbours  also 
assembled  for  the  purpose),  they  were  denounced  as 
"ringleaders  of  a  faction,"  and  ordered  home  by 
the  ship  LioiCs  Whelp.  To  this  same  period  also 
belongs  Samuel  Maverick,  who,  for  his  support  of 
"the  lordly  prelatical  power,"  was  subjected  to  a 
number  of  persecutions.  He  was  a  prominent  member 
of  society,  being  described  by  Drake  as  a  man  whom 
"  Boston  could  not  do  without."  He  died  in  New 
York  prior  to  May  1676. 

^  He  finally  removed  to  what  is  now  Lonsdale,  Rhode  Island,  and 
occasionally  officiated  in  various  parts.  He  appears  to  have  been  the 
first  clergyman,  as  well  as  the  first  white  inhabitant,  in  that  State.  It 
is  said  that  he  also  held  service  at  Providence.  He  was  among  the 
first  to  engage  in  raising  fruit,  and  at  times  he  rewarded  his  congrega- 
tion for  their  attendance  by  distributing  among  them  the  choicest  pro- 
ducts of  his  garden  and  orchard.     He  died  in  1673. 


24        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

There  seems  to  be  but  little  doubt  that  a  clergy- 
man of  the  Church  was  among  the  early  settlers  in 
New  Hampshire.  As  soon  as  1638,  the  name  of 
"John  Michell,  a  minister,"  is  found  on  the  Register 
of  the  Privy  Council.  We  know  of  a  chapel  and 
parsonage  at  Portsmouth,  within  two  years  of  this 
date.  It  was  in  this  same  patent  that,  subsequent 
to  the  services  of  Richard  Gibson,  a  parish  was 
organised  in  the  year  1640.  This  was  probably  the 
first  organisation  of  the  kind  in  what  is  now  known 
as  New  England.  S.  John's,  Portsmouth,  may  be 
said  to  represent  the  ancient  church  of  Strawberry 
Bank.i 

Churchmen  began  very  early  to  settle  in  Maryland, 
so  called  in  honour  of  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  wife 
of  Charles  I.  They  came  from  Virginia,  some  time 
prior  to  1634,^  and  made  their  homes  on  the  Isle  of 
Kent,  opposite  what  is  now  known  as  the  city  of 
Annapolis.  The  Rev.  Richard  James  (who  had 
accompanied  Sir  George  Calvert,  the  first  Lord  Balti- 
more, before  he  became  a  Roman  Catholic)  was  for 
a  while  their  minister.^  Not  long  afterwards,  a  chapel 
was  erected  at  S.  Mary's,  where  lay  services  were 
held.     These  Church  people  suffered  considerable  in- 

^  See  the  Rev.  Dr.  Da  Costa's  "  The  Colonial  Church,"  in  his  anno- 
tated edition  of  Bishop  White's  Memoirs,  p.  23. 

-  This  was  the  date  of  the  coming  to  Maryland  of  colonists  under 
the  charter  given  to  Sir  George  Calvert,  while  he  was  yet  a  Protestant ; 
and  three-fourths  of  those  who  at  this  time  migrated  thither  were  Protes- 
tants. The  statement  that  the  settlement  at  S.  Mary's  was  made  to 
escape  persecution  would  seem  to  be  entirely  erroneous. 

•*  Mr.  James  had  previously  been  librarian  to  Sir  Robert  Cotton,  the 
famous  antiquary. 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      25 

dignity  at  the  hands  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  against 
whom  they  felt  obliged  to  petition  for  redress.  They 
styled  themselves  "  Protestant  Catholics."  One  com- 
plaint was  that  a  prominent  Roman  Catholic  had 
stolen  the  key  of  their  chapel  and  removed  their 
books.  He  was  made  to  restore  them,  and  pay  a 
fine  of  500  lbs.  of  tobacco,  to  be  applied  to  the  support 
of  the  first  clergyman  who  should  arrive.  Before  a 
great  while,  the  proprietary  government  was  over- 
thrown, and  Protestants,  with  religious  toleration,  were 
in  the  ascendency. 

There  is  mention  made,  about  the  year  1650,  of 
the  Rev.  William  Wilkinson,  and  of  his  faithful  and 
diligent  labours  at  S.  George's,  Mary  County.  He 
was  the  first  clergyman  who  took  up  his  residence 
in  the  province  beside  those  who  lived  in  Kent  Island. 
The  growth  of  the  Church  in  these  parts  during  this 
period  was  far  from  vigorous,  as  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that,  so  late  as  1675,  only  three  clergymen 
were  in  service  there,  one  of  whom  was  afterwards 
convicted  of  atheism  and  blasphemy.  Another  was 
the  Rev.  John  Yeo,  of  Pautuxant  River,  who  sub- 
sequently officiated  for  a  season  at  Lewes,^  Dela- 
ware, returning  to  Maryland,  where  he  died  in  1686. 
While  he  is  accused  of  being  a  turbulent  fellow,  he 
seems  to  have  been  keenly  alive  to  the  spiritual 
necessities  of  his  day.  In  1676,  he  addressed  a 
letter  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  (Dr.  Shel- 
don), calling  his  attention  to  many  privations,  chiefly 

^  This  parish  still  has  in  use  handsome  and  solid  silver  altar-vessels, 
presented,  in  1773,  by  John  Penn,  the  grandson  of  William  Penn. 


26        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

resulting  from  the  want  of  ordained  ministers,  a  due 
supply  of  whom  he  earnestly  asked. 

In  what  is  now  called  Maine,  we  find  the  names 
of  the  Rev.  Richard  Gibson,^  and  the  Rev.  Robert 
Jordan,  1636-40.  The  various  companies  of  immi- 
grants arriving  here  in  the  early  part  of  this  cen- 
tury had  large  proportions  of  Churchmen.  Their 
religious  loyalty  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that, 
in  1 64 1,  a  Congregational  minister  (Thomas  Jeaner) 
reported  to  Governor  Winthrop  that  the  people  of 
Saco  were  "  much  addicted  to  Episcopacy."  Such  zeal 
on  their  part  could  hardly  fail  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  Puritans,  who  had  already  well-nigh  crushed 
the  Church  out  of  New  Hampshire.  The}'  attempted 
to  do  the  same  in  Maine.  Jordan  was  insulted,  im- 
prisoned, and  cruelly  treated,  his  offence  consisting  of 
baptizing  children.  He  was  subsequently  summoned 
for  having  ventured  to  perform  the  marriage  cere- 
mony. He  died  in  1679,  and  there  is  from  this  date  no 
record  for  some  time  of  any  public  services  in  this  part 
of  New  England,  except  those  which  were  occasionally 
held  at  the  garrison  by  a  lay-reader,  one  John  Gyles. 

The  Church  history  of  Delaware  may,  for  reasons 
given  hereafter,  be  said  to  begin  about  1638.  It  was 
then  that  the  first  Swedish  colony,  under  Minuit, 
landed  on  the  shores  of  the  river  (originally  the  Min- 
quas),  which  they  named  the  Christiana,  in  honour  of 
their  queen.  They  came  of  a  religious  nation,  and 
were  in  exact  accord  with  the  earlier  settlers  from 
England  in  purposing  to  bring  the  New  World  under 
*  See  p.  24. 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      27 

the  influence  of  Christianity.  It  is  estimated  that 
the  Swedish  Government  spent  not  less  than  |ioo,coo 
in  evangelising  America.  East  of  the  site  of  the 
church  and  burial-ground  now  in  use  within  the 
limits  of  the  present  city  of  Wilmington,  they  erected 
Fort  Christina.  Here  they  at  once  built  a  log-church.^ 
A  clergyman  of  the  name  of  Riorus  Torkillus  accom- 
panied Minuit,  and  officiated  regularly  until  his  death 
in  1643.  In  Governor  Beekman's  time,  1658-64,  the 
commander  at  Fort  Nassau,  Andreas  Hudde,  served 
as  clerk  in  the  church  at  Christina,  under  Lars  Lock, 
who  was  at  that  period  the  only  Swedish  clergyman 
in  America. 

Twelve  years  after  the  Dutch  had  conquered  New 
Sweden,  and  three  years  after  the  English  had  entered 
into  possession  of  the  whole  country,  viz.,  in  1667, 
another  church,  situated  at  the  Crane  Hook  (at  the 
mouth  of  the  Christiana),  was  erected  by  the  Swedes 
(aided,  doubtless,  by  the  Dutch),  to  take  the  place  of 
the  former  edifice.  The  site  was  selected  partly  with 
reference  to  the  convenience  of  the  people  living  in 
New  Jersey  and  elsewhere  upon  the  rivers,  who  now 
were  able  to  come  almost  to  the  church  doors  in 
their  boats. 

For  eleven  years  after  the  building  of  the  church  at 
Crane  Hook,  Lock  was  in  charge  of  two  congregations, 
the  other  being  at  Tinicum,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Schuylkill.     At  his  death,  in  1688,  occasional  services 

^  Possibly  this  building,  and  others  erected  for  public  worship  at  this 
period,  were  more  like  block -houses,  so  constructed  that,  in  case  of 
assault  by  the  Indians,  they  could  be  used  as  forts. 


28        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

were  held  at  Christina  by  Jacob  Fabritius,  a  Dutch 
clergyman  from  New  York,  who  officiated  principally 
at  Wicaco,  in  Pennsylvania.  On  account  of  blind- 
ness, he  was  obliged  to  retire  from  work  in  1691. 
From  that  time  until  the  arrival  of  the  Swedish 
missionaries  Biorck,  Rudiman,  and  Auren,  in  1697, 
tliere  were  no  regular  services.  Public  worship, 
however,  was  continued  at  intervals,  with  the  help 
of  two  worthy  lay-readers.  "Orderly  people,"  it 
is  said,  "  attended,  but  others  did  not,  or  came  for 
amusement :  some  of  the  young  men  for  horse- 
racing.  The  want  of  discipline  occasioned  many  dis- 
orders." 

The  Swedish  congregation  showed  much  anxiety  to 
secure  a  clergyman,  and  offered  what  they  evidently 
considered  the  liberal  salary  of  one  hundred  rix-dollars, 
with  a  house  and  glebe.  Finally,  as  mentioned  above, 
a  pastor  was  sent  to  them  in  the  year  1697.  Of  the 
three  named,  Eric  Biorck,^  of  the  province  of  West- 
manland,  was  the  one  assigned,  by  agreement  between 
them,  to  the  Delaware  church.  He  commenced  his 
ministry  on  July  nth.  The  following  record  of  the 
event  is  transcribed  from  his  own  journal :  - — 

"/ufy  1 1,  or  the  6th  of  Trinity.  I  began  in  Jesus' 
name  my  first  Divine  service  in  Crane  Hook  Church, 
when   I  informed    them   how   I  purposed  to  conduct 

'  He  was  licensed  by  the  Bishop  of  London  to  officiate  in  the 
Church  of  England  congregations,  and  was  highly  commended  for  his 
self-denying  industrj'. 

*  From  a  volume  by  Dr.  Horace  Burr,  of  Wilmington,  recently  pub- 
lished under  the  auspices  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Delaware,  con- 
taining a  translation  of  the  old  records  of  Holy  Trinity  Church. 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      29 

Divine  Service,  if  circumstances  are  favourable  thereto, 
viz.,  as  follows  : — 

"  1st.  Begin  with  a  morning  Psalm,  and  then  read 
from  the  pulpit  a  chapter  in  the  Old  Testament  and 
one  from  the  New  Testament,  beginning  with  the  first 
in  each. 

"  2nd.  Read  the  Catechism,  without  the  Lutheran 
explanations. 

"  3rd.  Read  the  Athanasian  Creed,  ending  with  the 
Benediction  and  a  suitable  hymn. 

"4th.  Thereafter,  if  there  is  occasion,  ist,  Confess, 
2nd,  Bury  the  dead,  3rd,  Baptize  children,  4th,  Church 
women,  &c. 

"5th.  Then  begin  High  Mass,  according  to  the  order 
contained  in  the  Directory ;  when  Lov  Exordii  and 
the  Gospel  are  read;  then  read  one  of  our  Christian 
instructions,  with  Lutheran  explanations,  and  one  or 
other  thereof  with  simple  comments." 

For  some  time  the  site  of  the  church  had  been 
found  very  inconvenient,  chiefly  owing  to  a  liability 
of  the  approaches  to  it  being  overflowed  with  water. 
Accordingly,  a  new  church  was  erected  in  a  more 
favourable  locality.  The  corner-stone  was  laid,  May 
28,  1698,  and  the  building  was  formally  dedicated, 
with  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  on  Trinity  Sunday 
in  the  following  year.  Rudiman  preached  the  sermon, 
his  text  being  Psalm  cxxvi.  3,  "  The  Lord  hath  done 
great  things  for  its;  whereof  we  are  glad."  The  col- 
lection amounted  to  two  hundred  dollars,  which  was  a 
very  liberal  contribution  for  that  day. 

The  history  of  these   early  Swedish    services  has 


30        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

been  given,  because,  in  later  years,  when  the  Swedish 
language  had  ceased  to  be  intelHgible  to  the-  hearers, 
and  there  had  come  into  the  neighbourhood  many 
members  of  the  Church  of  England,  the  church  last 
built,  with  most  of  the  congregation  worshipping  there, 
came  under  the  care  of  the  newly  formed  Episcopal 
Church  of  America.^  In  the  Second  Convention  of  the 
Diocese  of  Delaware,  held  December  i8,  1792,  one 
of  the  attending  clergymen  was  the  Rev.  Joseph  Clark- 
son,  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Wilmington.  From  his 
report  it  may  be  inferred  that  he  began  his  ministry 
there  September  25,  1792. 

Details  of  its  history  have  been  entered  into,  because 
the  church  building,  begun  in  1698,  is  to-day  the  second 
oldest  sacred  edifice  in  the  whole  country,  and,  so  far  as 
continuous  use  of  such  edifices  is  concerned,  it  is  the 
first.^  It  is  still  in  good  condition,  and  the  centre  of 
an  interesting  and  encouraging  work. 

^  The  conforming  to  the  Ei)iscopal  Church  of  the  Swedish  congre- 
gations at  Philadelphia,  Wihnington,  and  elsewhere,  was  by  successive 
steps.  The  possession  of  a  liturgy,  and  the  observance  of  Confirmation, 
were  among  the  attractions  which  served  to  bring  about  the  change. 
The  right  to  the  church  property  thus  acquired  has  at  times  been  dis- 
cussed in  the  civil  courts,  but  the  claims  of  the  Episcopal  Church  have 
been  uniformly  vindicated. 

-  The  oldest  is  S.  Luke's  Church,  Smithfield,  Virginia,  which  was 
erected  in  the  year  1632,  and  has  been  recently  well  restored.  In  its 
large  chancel  windows  are  memorials  of  some  of  the  most  interesting 
persons  and  events  belonging  to  the  early  history  of  Virginia. 

There  is  an  adobe  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral  at  Santa  Fe,  New 
Mexico,  which  is  said  to  be  older  than  either  of  these  two  churches. 

The  Old  Swedes'  Church  (^Gloria  Dei  is  its  name),  Philadelphia, 
dales  from  the  year  1700.  The  second  church  at  Jamestown,  built  in 
1640,  has  long  been  in  ruins. 

S.  Paul's  Church,  Wickford,  Rhode  Island,  erected  in  1707,  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  oldest  church  now  standing  in  New  England. 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      31 

The  first  services  held  in  Delaware  by  a  clergyman  of 
the  Church  of  England,  of  which  we  have  any  authentic 
account,  were  those  of  the  Rev.  John  Yeo,  from  Mary- 
land, of  whom  mention  has  already  been  made,^  and 
who  came  to  New  Castle  in  December  1677.  He  was 
formally  appointed  as  minister  there  by  the  court,  after 
receiving  the  approbation  of  the  Governor.^ 

The  original  colonists  of  South  Carolina  landed 
there  in  Holy  Week,  1660,  and  it  was  for  their  benefit 
that  the  first  services  of  the  Church  were  held  (by  the 
Rev.  Morgan  Jones)  in  that  part  of  America.  Two 
years  later,  a  charter  was  granted  to  certain  noble- 
men by  Charles  II.,  who,  it  is  said,  intrusted  its  pre- 
paration to  Locke,  the  celebrated  philosopher.  It  is 
doubted,  however  (somewhat  inconsistently),  whether 
he  entirely  approved  of  the  provision  which  called  for 
the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  the  Church  of 
England  as  setting  forth  "  the  only  true  and  orthodox 
and  the  national  religion  of  all  the  King's  dominions."  ^ 
While  the  Constitution  asserted  the  supremacy  of  the 
Church,  it  yet  professed  also  to  guarantee  religious 
equality,  with  this  proviso,  that  each  person  of  seven- 
teen years  should  enroll  himself  in  one  or  another  of 
the  various  religious  denominations  that  might  then  be 
represented  there. 

The  first  church  building  (S.  Philip's)  was  erected 
in  Charleston  about  1681  or  1682.     It  is  described  as 

^  See  p.  25. 

"  See  "History  of  Immanuel  Church,  New  Castle,"  by  Thomas 
Ilolcomb,  Esq. 

^  Locke  is  believed  to  have  entertained  at  one  time  the  idea  of  taking 
Holy  Orders. 


/^ 


32        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

"large  and  stately,"  and  was  constructed  of  black 
cypress  upon  a  brick  foundation.  The  Rev.  Atkin 
Williamson  was  its  first  rector,  so  far  as  is  known 
from  its  records.  When  he  became  too  old  and  infirm 
to  discharge  his  duties,  the  Legislature  granted  him 
an  annuity  of  £])0.  His  successor,  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Maxwell,  seems  to  have  been  more  than  usually 
esteemed  by  the  whole  community.  He  was  voted 
;^I50  per  annum  out  of  the  public  funds,  from  which 
also  he  was  supplied  with  a  negro  man  and  woman, 
and  with  four  cows  and  calves.  The  Rev.  Samuel 
Thomas  arrived  in  Charleston  on  Christmas  Day, 
1 70 1.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Le  Jau  followed  him  in  1707, 
and  afterwards  came  the  Rev.  Robert  Maule.  These 
all  won  general  esteem  for  their  simple-heartedness 
and  fidelity.  They  showed  much  interest  in  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  negroes.  In  1704  the  General 
Assembly  passed  an  "  act  for  the  establishment  of  re- 
ligious worship  in  this  province  according  to  the 
Church  of  England,  and  for  the  erection  of  cliurches 
for  the  public  worship  of  God,  and  also  for  the  main- 
tenance of  ministers,  and  the  building  convenient 
houses  for  them."  This  act  also  contained  a  provi- 
sion whereby  lay  commissioners  could  try  and  remove 
clergymen ;  but  such  strenuous  objections  were  raised 
to  it  that  it  was  repealed.  Among  the  earlier  clergy- 
men was  the  Rev.  Gideon  Johnson,  the  commissary  of 
the  Bishop  of  London,  who,  although  a  great  invalid, 
was  most  diligent  in  his  labours  among  the  whites, 
negroes,  and  Indians.  He  died  in  the  year  17 16. 
He  was  succeeded  as  commissary,  first  by  the  Rev. 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      33 

William  Tredwell  Bull,  and  then  by  the  Rev.  Alex- 
ander Garden.  In  this  capacity,  Mr.  Garden  at  first 
cordially  received  Mr.  Whitefield,  but  afterwards,  on 
account  of  irregularities  in  the  conduct  of  public  wor- 
ship, suspended  him.  While  his  enforcement  of  the 
law  may  have  served  to  alienate  popular  sympathy 
from  the  commissary,  yet  there  can  be  no  question  as 
to  the  conscientious  manner  in  which  he  performed 
what  must  have  been  to  him  an  unwelcome  duty. 

The  original  settlers  of  New  York  were  the  Dutch, 
who  introduced  there  their  national  religion.  When 
the  colony  was  subjugated  by  the  English,  under 
Colonel  Nicolls,  it  was  expressly  stipulated  that  liberty 
of  conscience  should  be  enjoyed  by  all.  In  pursuance 
of  this  provision,  the  English  used  the  Dutch  church 
for  their  Prayer-Book  service,  which  immediately  fol- 
lowed the  Dutch  service.  (1663  is  the  first  year  when 
the  Church  services  appear  on  record.)  No  change 
was  made  in  this  respect  when  the  Dutch  recaptured 
tlie  fort  in  1673,  nor  when,  in  the  next  year,  it  fell 
once  more  into  the  hands  of  the  English.  The  first 
clergyman  of  whom  we  have  any  mention  is  the  Rev. 
Charles  Wolley,  who  began  to  officiate  as  chaplain  of 
the  forces  in  the  year  1678.  He  was  a  Cambridge 
graduate,  and  was  appointed  by  the  Duke  of  York  to 
Fort  James,  as  the  English  called  it. 

In  1692,  the  Governor,  Colonel  Fletcher,  in  demand- 
ing from  the  Assembly  an  act,  as  it  was  afterwards 
termed,  "  for  settling  the  ministry  and  raising  a  main- 
tenance for  them,"  based  his  request  upon  the  fact 
that  LTagna  Cliarta  provided  for  "  the  religion  of  the 


34        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Church  of  England."  In  this  legislation  the  counties 
of  Richmond,  Westchester,  and  Queen's  were  asso- 
ciated with  the  city  of  New  York.  When  the  act  was 
passed,  the  Governor  refused  for  some  time  to  sign  it, 
because  it  did  not  recognise  his  power  of  presentation 
to  ecclesiastical  benefices.  This  power  was  vested  in 
the  Governor  by  the  terms  of  his  appointment  by  the 
Crown ;  but  the  Assembly,  who  wished  to  have  Dis- 
senters occupy  these  benefices,  were  disposed  to  ignore 
the  Governor's  rights  in  this  respect. 

In  1692,  a  charter,  accompanied  by  a  grant  of  land, 
was  given  to  Trinity  Church.^  By  the  terms  of  the 
act,  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made,  an 
appropriation  was  allowed  of  ;^ioo  for  the  support  of 
the  rector  (therein  styled  "  the  Minister  of  the  city  of 
New  York  "),  and  one  of  £60  to  each  of  the  country 
ministers.  These  sums,  as  others  for  the  repairs  of 
church-buildings,  &c.,  were  raised  by  general  taxation. 

This  support  of  the  Church  out  of  the  public  funds 
is  the  more  noteworthy,  inasmuch  as  at  this  time  there 
was  a  very  considerable  mixture  of  races  and  religions. 
From  a  report  made  by  Governor  Thomas  Dongan  in 
1687,  we  learn  that  there  were  English  Churchmen, 
Dutch  Lutherans,  Dutch  Calvinists,  French  Calvinists, 
Quakers,  Singing  Quakers,  Sabbatarians,  Anti-Sabba- 
tarians, Anabaptists,  Jews,  Independents,  &:c.  It  was, 
doubtless,  because  of  this  heterogeneity  that  King 
Charles,  in  some  of  his  private  instructions  to  the 
Commissioners,  advised   them   to  allow  the  clergy  to 

^  The  services  at  this  time  were  held  in  the  new  Dutch  Church  in 
Garden  Street,  because  Trinity  Church  was  not  yet  ready  for  use. 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      35 

dispense  with  the  use  of  the  surpHce,  so  as  to  "  recon- 
cile persons  of  very  different  judgments  and  practices 
in  all  things."  Much  was  done  outside  of  Government 
aid.  Through  the  gifts  and  influence  of  the  Bishop  of 
London,  a  Latin  Free  School  was  established,  and  the 
Governor  founded  two  other  schools  in  the  city. 

Until  1693,  there  would  seem  to  have  been  "no  face 
of  the  Church  of  England  "  in  Westchester  County,  for 
although  the  Governor  had  already  issued  a  stringent 
proclamation  for  the  suppression  of  vice  and  the  better 
observance  of  the  Lord's  Day,  the  Court  of  Sessions 
was  compelled  shortly  afterwards  to  legislate  anew 
upon  the  subject.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Muirson  charged  this 
condition  of  affairs  largely  to  "  the  evil  example  and 
great  neglect  of  our  magistrates." 

Later  on,  the  inhabitants  of  this  territory  seem  to 
have  been  more  anxious  as  to  their  spiritual  condition, 
and  when  the  S.P.G.,  beginning  with  1702,  sent  them 
missionaries,  these  were  well  received.  They  appear 
to  have  been  unusually  acceptable  men. 

In  Rye,  where  the  Congregationalists  were  first  on 
the  ground,  no  persons  were  allowed  to  "embody 
themselves  in  Church  estate  without  the  consent  of  the 
General  Court,"  one  object  being  to  prevent  Churchmen 
from  getting  a  foothold  there.  At  New  Rochelle,  the 
Rev.  Daniel  Bondet,  a  Huguenot  refugee,  who  had 
received  Holy  Orders  from  the  Bishop  of  London, 
officiated  for  a  number  of  years  at  the  immediate  close 
of  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  first  parish  organised  in  Long  Island  was  that 
of  Jamaica,   which  dates  from  the  year   1702.     The 


36        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Rev.  Patrick  Gordon  came  over,  under  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  S.P.G.,  with  Keith,  tarried  a  few  weeks  in 
Boston,  and  then  went  to  Jamaica,  where  he  died  the 
day  he  was  to  have  entered  upon  his  work.  Colonel 
Morris  (Governor  of  New  Jersey,  and  a  fellow-pas- 
senger on  the  voyage)  speaks  of  him,  in  a  letter  to 
Bishop  Beveridge,  as  "a  man  of  abilities,  sobriety, 
and  prudence." 

Shortly  after  the  charter  was  granted  to  Trinity 
Church,  New  York,  Mr.  William  Vesey  was  chosen 
rector  of  the  parish.  This  election  was  made  by  what 
was  known  as  the  Ct(y  vestry.  This  was  a  heterogeneous 
body  of  men,  elected  under  the  provisions  of  the  act 
of  1693,  by  the  freeholders  of  the'  city,  without  dis- 
tinction of  religion.  The  C/iurc/i  vestry  was  elected 
afterwards,  under  the  charter  of  1697,  by  the  members 
of  the  Church  of  England.  These  two  vestries  ran 
on,  side  by  side,  for  a  number  of  years,  with  occasional 
collisions. 

Mr.  Vesey  was  elected  by  the  Ci/f  vestry  to  be 
minister  of  the  city  of  New  York.  Subsequently,  the 
Church  vestry  secured  for  him,  as  their  rector,  the 
benefits  ensuing  under  the  act  of  1693,  the  charter 
declaring  that  the  rector  of  Trinity  Church  should  be 
the  person  described  in  the  act  of  1693. 

Governor  Fletcher  had  a  long  contest  with  the 
Assembly  and  the  City  vestry  before  he  succeeded 
in  getting  Mr.  Vesey  elected  by  the  latter  body. 
Originally  it  had  a  majority  of  Dissenters,  and  they, 
naturally  enough,  preferred  to  elect  one  of  their  own 
views. 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      37 

It  has  been  alleged  that  Mr.  Vesey  was  a  Dissent- 
ing minister,  a  special  protege  of  Increase  Mather; 
that  he  was  serving  as  such  on  Long  Island  when 
elected  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  and  conformed  to 
the  Church  for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  place  and 
support  provided  for  in  the  act.  This  story  is 
designated  by  the  present  rector  of  the  parish,  in  a 
letter  to  the  author,  as  "  a  pure  falsehood  from  begin- 
ning to  end ;  a  gossiping  tale,  invented  by  his  enemies 
and  those  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  first  put 
into  circulation  about  17 14,  during  the  administration 
of  Governor  Hunter,  between  whom  and  Mr.  Vesey 
there  was  a  very  sharp  controversy." 

The  family  of  Mr.  Vesey  were  not  only  strong  Church 
people,  but  Jacobites,  and  as  such  detested  by  the 
New  England  Congregationalists.  He  served  as 
lay-reader  and  preacher  on  Long  Island,  and  after- 
wards assisted  the  Rev.  Samuel  Myles  at  King's 
Chapel,  Boston.  It  was  while  serving  in  this  capacity, 
and  looking  forward  to  ordination,  that  he  was  called 
to  Trinity  Church.  He  immediately  set  sail  for 
England,  where,  in  1696,  he  was  ordained  by  the 
Bishop  of  London.^  It  was  on  Christmas  Eve,  1697, 
that  he  was  elected  rector  by  the  Church  vestry.  He 
was  inducted  by  the  Governor  on  the  following  day, 
two  of  the  Dutch  clergy  acting  as  the  legal  witnesses. 
All  his  successors,  down  to  the  time  of  the  War  of 
the  Revolution,  were  inducted  by  the  royal  governors. 
The    service   of  induction    performed    by   them   was 

*  See  "History  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York,"  by  the  Rev.  Morgan 
Dix,  D.D. 


38        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

different  from  that  performed  by  the  wardens  and 
vestrymen.  This  latter  ceremony  still  continues  to 
be  observed  in  the  parish,  and  in  the  case  of  the 
present  rector  was  followed  by  his  institution  by  the 
Bishop  of  New  York,  according  to  the  form  prescribed 
in  the  Prayer-Book. 

On  March  13,  1697,  Trinity  Church  was  opened, 
and  at  this  time  Mr.  Vesey  read  himself  in.  He 
served  the  parish  for  almost  half  a  century,  also  acting 
for  a  large  part  of  that  period  as  commissary  for 
the  Bishop  of  London.  By  his  consistent  conduct  and 
diligent  work,  he  gradually  won  and  always  retained 
the  esteem  of  the  whole  community.  He  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  a  rapid  increase  in  the  member- 
ship of  the  Church,  and  a  corresponding  growth  in 
its  influence  and  usefulness.  It  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  to  his  zeal  and  wisdom  is  largely  due, 
under  God,  the  impregnable  position  of  prominence 
which  the  Church  holds  to-day  in  the  metropolis  of 
America. 

One  of  the  most  active  and  influential  laymen  in 
the  early  history  of  this  venerable  parish  was  Colonel 
Caleb  Heathcote,  Mayor  of  New  York  from  171 1 
to  17 14.  He  was  also  instrumental  in  founding  a 
number  of  parishes  in  Westchester  County.  He  dis- 
played notable  characteristics,  and  had  the  respect  of 
all  who  knew  him. 

As  to  Connecticut,  we  find  that  the  earliest  proof 
of  anything  like  a  combination  among  Churchmen 
was  in  the  year  1664.  It  was  then  that  William 
Pitkin  and  six  others,  signing  themselves  "  professors 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      39 

of  the  Protestant  Christian  religion,  members  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  subjects  of  our  sovereign 
Lord  Charles  the  Second,"  memorialised  the  General 
Assembly  for  some  redress  of  the  hardships  they  were 
enduring  for  lack  of  a  regularly  ordained  clergyman, 
and  also  asked  that,  by  some  wholesome  law,  "they 
might  be  relieved  from  paying  for  the  support  of 
ministers  who  neglected  their  spiritual  needs."  Their 
petition  seems  to  have  been  well  received,  but  nothing 
practical  resulted  from  it.  It  is  not  until  the  begin- 
ning of  the  eighteenth  century  that  we  have  any  record 
of  public  services.^  They  were  held  by  two  clergy- 
men, who  became  well  known  throughout  the  coun- 
try, viz.,  the  Rev.  George  Keith"  and  the  Rev.  John 
Talbot.^  This  beginning  was  in  New  London,  on  the 
Fifteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity,  September  1 3,  1702. 
In  1706  the  Rev.  George  Muirson,  of  Rye,  New  York, 
accompanied  by  Colonel  Heathcote,  who  went  fully 
armed,  officiated  at  Stratford,  where  he  baptized  a 
large  number  of  adults  and  children.  His  visit  aroused 
the  enemies  of  the  Church,  who  threatened  him  with 
personal  violence,  and  charged  him  with  transgress- 
ing the  Colonial  law  in  holding  his  services.  Many 
persons  on  their  way  to  attend  them  were  insulted 
and  intimidated,  one  of  the  members  of  the  Council 
threatening  each  one  of  them  with  a  fine  of  ^^5  if 
they  persisted  in  going  to  church.  However,  they 
were   not   much   discouraged,   but   kept    on   preparing 

^  In  all  probability,  the  prime  mover  in  obtaining  these  services  was 
Colonel  Caleb  Heathcote,  whose  pious  efforts  in  the  same  cause  else- 
where have  already  been  noted  (p.  38). 

2  See  pp.  43,  44.  s  Seg  pp_  jQg  ^^  ^^^^ 


40        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

for  a  permanent  organisation,  which  was  effected  in 
April  1707.  In  1724  the  church  was  completed  and 
dedicated. 

It  was  just  two  years  before  this  event  (in  the 
autumn  of  1722)  that  the  whole  colony  was  greatly 
stirred  by  the  public  recantation  of  Presbyterianism 
and  the  reception  into  the  Episcopal  Church  of  seven 
prominent  ministers.  Among  them  were  Timothy 
Cutler,  President  of  Yale  College,  and  two  of  its  tutors, 
Samuel  Johnson  and  Daniel  Brown.  Their  conversion 
was  largely  owing  to  their  study  of  the  Prayer-Book, 
and  of  some  works  of  standard  Anglican  divines  be- 
longing to  the  college  librar}^  from  which  they  were 
persuaded  of  the  Divine  right  of  Episcopacy.^  They 
were  promptly  dismissed  from  their  posts,  and  hotly 
abused  by  their  former  companions.  They  were  called 
"cudweds,"  "degenerate  offspring,"  "highflyers,"  &c. 
This  sort  of  persecution  appears  to  have  been  too 
much  for  three  of  the  seven,  as  they  before  long  re- 
turned to  their  former  faith.  Cutler,  Johnson,  and 
Brown  sailed  almost  immediately  for  England,  and 
were  ordained  by  the  Bishop  of  Norwich  in  the  spring 
of  1723.  The  former  (upon  whom  both  Oxford  and 
Cambridge  Universities  conferred  the  degree  of  D.D.) 
returned  to  America,  under  the  auspices  of  the  S.P.G., 
and  became  rector  of  Christ  Church,  Boston.  He 
remained  in  this  parish  until  his  death,  rarely  engaging 
in  controversy,  but  actively  employed  in  the  general 

^  In  the  document  presented  to  the  trustees  of  the  college,  these 
members  of  the  Faculty  declared  that  "  they  laboured  under  difficulties 
in  keeping  out  of  the  visible  communion  of  the  Episcopal  Church." 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      41 

work  of  the  ministry.  Johnson  (who  was  an  intimate 
friend  and  correspondent  of  Berkeley),  on  his  return, 
was  sent  to  Stratford,  Connecticut,  where  his  influence 
soon  became  widely  recognised.  The  Church  had  no 
abler  theologian.  In  a  number  of  publications,  he 
combated  the  arguments  of  Dissenters,  and  in  time  had 
so  increased  his  congregation  that  a  larger  place  of 
worship  was  made  necessary.  In  1743  he  received 
the  degree  of  D.D.  from  Oxford.  In  1754  he  became 
the  first  president  of  King's  (afterwards  Columbia) 
College,  New  York,  which  office  he  continued  to  hold, 
with  much  advantage  to  the  institution,  until  1763.  In 
this  year  he  went  back  to  Stratford,  and  resumed  the 
rectorship  of  the  parish,  which  he  retained  until  he 
died,  in  1772.  Many  other  converts  from  Yale  came 
into  the  Church  from  year  to  year,  and  steady  progress 
ensued,  despite  much  and  bitter  opposition.  Perhaps 
the  most  notable  of  these  additional  converts  was  the 
Rev.  Abraham  Beach,  who  graduated  as  valedictorian 
from  Yale  College,  and  was  ordained  in  England  in 
1767.  He  commenced  his  ministerial  work  at  New 
Brunswick,  N.J.,  and  in  1784  became  assistant-minister 
of  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  in  which  diocese  he 
soon  became  an  influential  and  honoured  clergyman. 
He  died  near  New  Brunswick  in  1828. 

In  the  charter  which  Charles  II.  granted  in  168 1, 
provision  was  made  for  the  introduction  of  the 
Church's  ministrations   into   William    Penn's  colony,^ 

^  This  concession  was  cheerfully  made  by  Penn,  at  the  request  of  Bishop 
Conipton.  Chalmers  (644)  asserts  that  the  peaceful  policy  towards  the 
Indians  pursued  by  Penn  was  due  to  this  same  good  Bishop's  advice. 


42        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

but  it  was  not  until  a  number  of  years  afterwards 
(1694-95)  that  any  steps  seem  to  have  been  taken  to 
carry  the  provision  into  effect.  This  delay  was  owing 
to  the  malignant  and  persistent  opposition  of  the 
Quakers,  who  summoned  before  the  civil  courts  such 
'  Churchmen  as  were  bold  enough  to  petition  for  clergy- 
men. A  church  building  (Christ  Church)  was  erected 
/  at  Philadelphia  in  1695/  and  the  Rev.  Richard  Sewell, 
\  of  Maryland,  was  the  first  clergyman  to  officiate  in  it. 
It  was  of  brick,  with  galleries,  large  enough  to  accommo- 
date more  than  500  persons.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Dorr, 
in  his  history  of  the  parish,  describes  it  as  "  a  goodly 
structure  for  those  days."  The  first  regular  incum- 
bent was  the  Rev.  Thomas  Clayton,  who  died  of 
yellow  fever,  contracted  in  visiting  the  sick.  He  was 
succeeded  for  a  short  time  by  the  Rev,  Edward 
Portlock,  from  New  Jersey,  where  he  had  been  the 
first  to  introduce  Church  services.  Mr.  Evan  Evans 
(lately  of  Brasenose  College,  Oxford)  was  the  next 
minister,  having  been  sent  in  1700  by  the  Bishop  of 
London.^  He  had  as  his  assistant  "a  very  sober 
ingenious  gentleman,"  by  name  John  Thomas. 

These  various  clergymen  were  very  zealous  in  their 
labours,  and  met  with  much  success.  They  baptized 
a  large  number  of  persons  (Mr.  Evans  computes  that 
in  seven  years  he  had  baptized  not  less  than  800 
children  and  adults),  including  many  Quakers.  Their 
evening  services  were  attended,  in  part,  by  those  who 
were  afraid  to  come  during  the  day,  because  of  the 
opposition  of  their  parents  and  masters.  In  a  letter 
*  Its  cost  was  about  ;/;"6oo.  *  See  p.  43. 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      43 

addressed,  under  date  of  January  18,  169?,  to  Gover- 
nor Nicholson,  by  Colonel  Quarry  and  others,  it  is 
declared  that  a  great  number  of  people  conformed  to 
Quakerism  only  for  want  of  other  religious  services, 
and  further,  that  "  the  late  great  distractions  and  divi- 
sions amongst  the  Quakers,  and  the  many  notorious, 
wicked,  and  damnable  principles  and  doctrines,  dis- 
covered to  be  amongst  the  greatest  part  of  them,  this 
makes  the  rest  very  uneasy  and  inquisitive  after  truth 
and  the  sound  doctrine  of  the  Church  of  England, 
which  makes  us  possitively  (jtzV)  assert  that  a  pious, 
good,  and  orthodox  ministr}''  would  bring  most  of 
them  over  to  the  Church." 

As  early  as  1704,  the  Rev.  Henry  Nicholls,  in 
writing  from  Upland,  a/ias  Chester,  sa3'S,  "  I  guess 
that  one-half  of  the  inhabitants  may  be  Churchmen." 
Later  on,  he  joins  others  in  asking  further  aid  from 
the  S.P.G.  Their  greatest  want  they  declared  to  be 
"a  schoolmaster  to  instruct  our  children  and  3'outh, 
which  we  are  obliged  to  suffer  to  be  corrupted  with 
the  base  principles  they  must  needs  suck  from  Quaker 
masters  and  mistresses."  Mr.  Evans  had  a  large  field 
of  labour,  including  one  or  two  places  in  New  Jersey. 
He  also  preached  in  Welsh  fortnightly. 

Among  the  clergy  that  early  officiated  (but  not 
regularly)  in  Pennsylvania  was  the  Rev.  George 
Keith,  who,  in  company  with  the  Rev.  John  Talbot, 
made  a  tour  of  nearly  all  the  colonies.  Keith  was 
a  convert  from  the  Quakers,  and  his  "reasons  for 
renouncing  Quakerism  and  entering  into  communion 
with  the  Church  of  England "   was  considered  to  be 


44        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

so  convincing  an  argument  that  it  was  the  first  book 
chosen  for  publication  by  the  S.P.C.K.  at  one  of  its 
earhest  meetings  in  1698-99.  His  return  to  America, 
after  his  ordination,  was  the  signal  for  bitter  revilings 
and  opposition  on  the  part  of  his  former  associates. 
Yet  he  worked  on  courageously  and  efficiently  (he  is 
said  to  have  baptized  700  Quakers),  until  he  went 
back,  in  1704,  to  England,  where  he  was  presented  to 
the  living  of  Edburton  in  Sussex.^  He  died  there 
in  17 16,  at  an  advanced  age.  Bishop  Burnet,  who 
was  his  fellow-student  at  Aberdeen,  says  of  him,  in 
his  "History  of  my  Own  Times,"  "Keith  was  the 
most  learned  man  ever  in  the  Quaker  sect,  well  versed 
both  in  the  Oriental  tongues  and  in '  philosophy  and 
mathematics." 

William  III.  showed  his  interest  in  the  mission 
at  Philadelphia  by  contributing  ^50  annually  to  the 
stipend  of  the  clergyman,  and  £30  to  that  of  the 
schoolmaster.  During  the  incumbency  of  the  Rev. 
Archibald  Cummings  (1726-40),  Christ  Church  was 
greatly  enlarged.  The  church-bells  were  sent  over 
from  England,  and  are  said  to  be  the  oldest  in  the 
United  States. 

The  church  at  Chester  was  built  in  1702-3,  very 
largely  owing  to  the  liberality  of  a  noted  benefactor  of 
the  Church,  Colonel  the  Hon.  Francis  Nicholson.  The 
vacancies  constantly  occurring,  through  deaths  and 
removals,  were  so  slowly  filled  that  much  harm  arose 

^  He  published,  in  1706,  a  very  interesting  journal  of  his  "Travels  from 
New  Hampshire  to  Caratuck,  on  the  Continent  of  North  America," 
giving  an  account  of  the  incidents  of  his  journeys  and  ministerial 
labours  during  the  years  1702-4. 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      45 

to  the  scattered  and  feeble  congregations.  This  dis- 
advantage was  all  the  more  increased  by  reason  of  the 
activity  of  the  "  dangerous  sectaries,  who  are  "  (as  is 
represented  to  the  S.P.G.,  by  a  memorial  from  the 
clergy,  1719)  "ever  industrious  to  do  mischief,  and 
who  are  never  at  a  loss  for  fit  emissaries  for  that 
purpose." 

Governor  Patrick  Gordon  reports  (July  1726)  to 
tlie  Bishop  of  London,  that  there  were  in  Philadelphia 
above  800  communicants,  but  complains  of  an  in- 
different supply  of  services,  owing  to  the  Rev.  Robert 
Weyman  (whom  he  describes  "  as  a  very  sober,  good 
man ")  having  two  or  three  other  churches,  at  some 
distance  from  one  another,  under  his  care. 

In  the  beginning  of  its  history,  New  Jersey  would 
seem  to  have  been  almost  wholly  under  either  Presby- 
terian or  Quaker  influence.  Bray,  in  his  "  Memorial," 
describes  its  inhabitants  as  being  entirely  "left  to 
themselves,  without  priest  or  altar."  Here  and  there 
were  to  be  found  stray  Churchmen,  whose  loyalty  was 
severely  tested.  One  of  these.  Colonel  Lewis  Morris, 
in  a  communication  which  he  addressed  to  the  authori- 
ties at  home,  suggested  several  devices  by  which  their 
number  might  be  increased.  Among  these  measures, 
were  the  confining  to  pious  Churchmen  the  appoint- 
ment of  governors,  and  making  only  such  persons 
eligible  to  membership  in  the  Council  and  in  the 
magistracy,  and,  further,  the  conferring  upon  them,  by 
Act  of  Parliament,  of  some  peculiar  privileges. 

The  Rev.  George  Keith,^  of  whom  some  account  has 
'  See  pp.  39,  43,  44. 


46       HISTORY  OF'THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

already  been  given,  began  his  ministrations  in  South 
Amboy,  on  the  Eighteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity, 
October  4,  1700.  Prior  services  had  been  held  else- 
where (^.^.,  in  Monmouth),  by  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Innes,  a  man  highly  commended  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Talbot. 
The  Rev.  John  Brooke  was  among  the  earliest  clergy- 
men of  the  diocese,  being  the  founder  of  S.  John's 
Church,  Elizabeth-Town.^  Of  him  it  was  said,  late  in 
the  present  century,  by  one  of  his  successors,-  "  Mr. 
Brooke  was  an  earnest,  zealous,  self-sacrificing  mis- 
sionary. The  influence  of  his  piety  and  devotion  is 
still  alive  and  is  felt  here,  and  the  character  he  gave  to 
the  church  it  has  never  lost."  It  is  highly  probable 
that  he  occasionally  officiated  at  Newark,  where,  from 
the  beginning  of  its  settlement,  there  was  a  contingent 
of  Churchmen.  It  is  also  likely  that,  a  little  later  on, 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Halliday  served  a  congregation  there. 
By  the  year  1733,  it  had  increased  to  what  was  called 
"  a  numerous  assembly ; "  indeed,  it  had  grown  so 
much,  that  the  famous  Jonathan  Dickinson  was  moved 
by  his  fellow- Presbyterians  to  preach  a  sermon  against 
the  Church,  in  which  he  likened  her  to  "  the  weak  and 
beggarly  elements "  of  which  his  text  (Gal.  iv.  9) 
treated.  Churchmen  do  not,  however,  appear  to  have 
been  very  generous  in  their  gifts,  inasmuch  as  the 
Rev.  Jonathan  Arnold,  a  missionary  of  the  S.P.G., 
complains,  in  one  of  his  letters,  that  he  had  "  not  re- 
ceived one  penny  from  Staten  Island  or  Newark  during 


^  Tlie  first  edifice  in  that  parish  was  of  brick,  and  was  commenced 
on  S.  John  the  Baptist's  Day,  1706. 

-  Rev.  Samuel  A.  Clark,  D.D.,  in  his  "  History  of  S.John's  Church." 


CHURCH-PLANTIXG  IN  OLDER  COLON I&S      \j 

the  year,  they  being  willing  to  purchase  heaven  with- 
out money  and  without  price." 

There  were  other  places  in  the  colony  where  the 
services  of  the  Church  were  held  at  an  even  earlier 
period.  At  Perth  Amboy,  there  is,  in  the  wall  of  the 
chancel,  a  stone  bearing  the  date  of  1685,  and  the  tradi- 
tion of  the  parish  has  always  been  that  this  was  the 
corner-stone  of  the  original  church  building.  Colonel 
Morris  wrote  in  1700  of  there  being  only  twelve  com- 
municants in  the  whole  province,  and  Jeremiah  Bass 
dates  the  history  of  the  Church  from  the  ministry  of 
the  Rev.  Edward  Portlock,  which  must  have  been 
somewhat  prior  to  the  year  last  mentioned.  The 
parish  was  incorporated  by  royal  charter  in  17 18. 
The  Rev.  William  Skinner  laboured  there  from  1722 
to  1758,  when  he  died.  Mr.  Portlock  also  officiated 
at  Piscataway  and  Woodbridge,  and  after  him  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Brooke  and  the  Rev.  Edward  Vaughan.  It  was  at 
Colonel  Morris's  house  in  Shrewsbury  that  Mr.  Keith, 
on  Christmas  Day,  1702,  administered  the  Holy  Com- 
munion. The  same  devout  layman  soon  after  erected 
a  church-building  at  his  own  cost  and  charges.  The 
history  of  S.  George's  Church,  Swedesboro,  goes  back 
to  the  time  when  the  Swedes  erected  the  first  sanctuary 
there,  in  1703-4.  This  is  also  the  date  of  the  first 
building  erected  for  S.  MichaeFs,  Trenton,  although 
as  late  as  1737  the  Rev.  William  Lindsay,  who  was 
"  itinerant  missionary "  in  Pennsylvania  and  New 
Jersey,  could  report  only  nineteen  communicants  as 
belonging  to  the  parish. 

Two  or  three  other  names  deserve  some  record  in 


48        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

connection  with  the  early  ecclesiastical  history  of  New 
Jersey.  The  Rev.  Thorough  good  Moor  (or  Moore) 
proved  his  right  to  his  Christian  name  by  refusing  the 
Sacrament  to  Lieutenant-Governor  Ingolsby,  a  noto- 
rious evil-liver,  who  caused  his  arrest  and  imprison- 
ment. He  was  released  through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brooke,  who,  in  turn,  was  so  perse- 
cuted by  Lord  Cornbury,  the  Governor,  that,  with  Mr. 
Moor,  he  set  sail  for  England.  They,  however,  did 
not  live  to  see  the  land.  Associated  with  Mr.  Brooke 
in  his  work  was  the  Rev,  Thomas  Halliday,^  a  man  of 
the  highest  character.  Tlie  Rev.  Thomas  Thompson 
came  as  missionary  to  these  parts  from  a  happy  and 
prosperous  ministry  in  England.  He  laboured  hard 
for  five  years  in  Monmouth  County,  and  then,  such  was 
his  burning  zeal,  went  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the 
negroes  in  Guinea.  He  may  thus  be  accounted  as 
the  first  foreign  missionary  from  America  to  Africa.- 

No  priest  of  this  period  made  a  deeper  impression 
upon  the  Church  than  the  Rev.  Thomas  Bradbury 
Chandler,  D.D.  Oxon.,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  who, 
after  his  ordination  in  England,  became,  in  ly^i,  the 
rector  of  S.  John's  Church,  Elizabeth,  N.J.  Here 
he  laboured  with  great  assiduity,  and  won  the  affec- 
tion of  his  whole  congregation  to  an  extraordinary 
degree.     His  influence   throughout   the   Colonies  was 


^  See  p.  46. 

^  In  a  letter  to  the  secretary  of  the  S.P.G.,  dated  April  23,  1752,  he 
complains  of  the  "prevailing  opinion  amongst  the  vulgar,  that  a  clergy- 
man ought  to  lead  a  dejected,  austere,  and  very  mean  life,  that  he  may 
have  real  occasion  to  make  use  of  all  the  patience  which  he  recom- 
mends to  the  afflicted  and  miserable." 


CHURCH-PLANTING  IN  OLDER  COLONIES      49 

very  considerable,  because  of  the  able  and  sturdy 
manner  in  which  he  maintained  the  integrity  of  the 
Church's  principles.  When  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion approached,  he  retired  to  England,  his  sympathies 
being  strongly  in  favour  of  the  Crown.  In  1783,  he 
was  requested  by  the  wardens  and  vestrymen  to 
return  and  resume  his  place  as  their  rector.  This 
he  gladly  did  in  1785,  being  much  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  the  American  Church,  although  his  health 
did  not  permit  the  active  discharge  of  his  duties.  On 
this  same  account,  he  declined  his  election  to  the 
Bishopric  of  Nova  Scotia,  which  had  been  strongly 
urged  upon  him.  He  died  in  1790,  after  a  rectorship 
of  thirty-eight  years,  and  his  body  was  interred  under 
the  church  where  he  had  laboured  so  long  and  so 
efficiently. 


CHAPTER  III 
CHURCH-GROWTH  UNTIL  THE  REVOLUTION 

Legislation  against  Roman  Catholics — Relation  between  Church  and 
State — Governor  Nicholson — Tobacco  the  circulating  medium — 
"The  Parsons'  cause  "—Patrick  Henry — Baptism  of  slaves — The 
Rev.  Jonathan  Boucher — The  Rev.  Devereux  Jarratt — The  Rev. 
Dr.  Blair — The  University  of  Henrico — Perils  of  attending  services 
—Complexion  of  the  population  of  Mar}'land — The  Rev.  Dr.  Bray 
— The  S.P.G.  and  America's  debt  to  it — Religious  toleration — 
Not  to  be  credited  to  the  Roman  Catholics — Intolerance  towards 
the  Church — King's  Chapel,  Boston — The  Price  Lectures. 

In  the  previous  chapters  an  account  has  been  given  of 
what  may  fairly  be  considered  the  inauguration  of  the 
Church's  services  in  various  parts  of  the  older  colonies. 
The  present  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  a  narrative  of 
the  Church's  growth  in  some  of  these  same  colonies, 
up  to  the  period  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

In  Virginia,  this  growth  was  more  marked  than  in 
some  other  colonies,  because  of  the  Church  being  more 
firmly  established  by  law  and  by  public  sentiment. 
Yet,  notwithstanding  this  fact,  many  Puritans  resorted 
thither  as  early  as  1620.^  At  first,  they  were  cordially 
received  and  kindly  treated,  despite  the  intolerant 
and  cruel  behaviour  of  their  fellow-religionists  towards 
Churchmen   in   New   England.      Whether   because  of 

'  See  "  Struggles  of  Protestant  Dissenters  for  Religious  Toleration 
in  Virginia,"^  by  Professor  Henry  R.  M'llvaine. 

50 


CHURCH-GROWTH  UNTIL  THE  REVOLUTION     51 

such  treatment  or  of  their  own  conduct,  they,  in 
common  with  Roman  Catholics  (who  had  also  shown 
a  persecuting  spirit  elsewhere,  particularly  in  Mary- 
land), were  legislated  against  during  Berkeley's  admini- 
stration, r/;r^  1642.  Their  ministers  were  not  allowed 
to  remain,  and  the  Roman  Catholics  were  made  in- 
eligible to  hold  office.  This  fact  detracts  from  the 
praise  which  might  otherwise  be  accorded  to  Virginia 
Churchmen  for  their  loyalty.  This  loyalty  to  both 
Church  and  State  was  so  intense  that,  even  after  they 
knew  that  Charles  I.  had  been  mart3Ted,  they  decreed 
that  any  one  calling  into  question  the  right  of  Charles 
II.  should  be  accounted  a  traitor.  It  was  not  until 
a  squadron  under  command  of  Sir  George  Ayscue 
arrived  that  they  acknowledged  the  Commonwealth, 
and  then  only  on  condition  that  the  use  of  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  and  the  services  of  their  clergymen 
should  be  allowed  for  at  least  a  year,  and  that  the 
customary  dues  should  be  paid  them.  Sixteen  months 
before  the  monarchy  was  restored  at  home,  it  was 
proclaimed  in  Virginia,  and  the  Church  was  soon  re- 
established. In  1649,  there  were  in  Virginia  twenty 
churches,  with  as  many  ministers. 

The  relation  between  Church  and  State  was  made 
evident,  among  other  things,  by  the  clergy  (in  Mar}-- 
land,  as  well  as  in  Virginia)  being  inducted  and  in- 
stituted to  their  cures  by  the  governor,  under  the 
appointment  of  the  Bishop  of  London,  and  in  the  sove- 
reign's name.  Sometimes  the  governor  would  claim  (not 
without  dispute)  the  right  to  collate  to  vacant  benefices.^ 
1  See  p.  34. 


52        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Their  stipends,  too,  were  regulated  by  law.  Some 
of  the  governors  showed  much  interest  in  eccle- 
siastical matters,  soliciting  from  England  a  due 
supply  of  ministers,  and  selecting  vestries  that  would 
properly  support  them.  Occasionally,  they  were  dis- 
posed to  go  beyond  their  prerogatives,  and  in  their 
unfriendly  officiousness  became  very  troublesome  to 
the  clergy.  To  this  class  belongs  Governor  Nicholson,^ 
whose  conduct,  as  would  appear  from  the  correspond- 
ence of  Commissary  Blair  and  others,  was  very  repre- 
hensible. Some  of  the  vestries  had,  or  at  least  assumed, 
the  authority  to  dismiss  their  clergy  peremptorily,  with 
or  without  the  assignment  of  reasons. 

In  some  of  the  colonies,  it  was  the  custom,  far  into 
the  eighteenth  century,  to  make  tobacco  the  chief 
medium  of  payment  for  all  kinds  of  debts,  including 
the  stipends  of  clergymen.  These  stipends  were  fixed 
in  some  parishes  at  16,000  lbs.  per  annum.  When  sold, 
they  would  realise  from  ;i^8o  to  ;^ioo;  upon  which 
sums  the  rectors  are  said  to  have  lived  (even  when 
married)  "very  comfortabl3\"  The  preference  seems 
to  have  been  given  to  what  were  called  "  sweet-scented 
parishes."  These  were  they  which  raised  sweet- 
scented  tobacco,  which  always  commanded  a  higher 
price  in  the  market. 

In  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  this 
commodity  was  very  scarce  and  valuable,  some  of  the 


*  To  his  credit  it  ought  to  be  said  that  when  he  first  came  to  the 
colony  he  brought  five  or  six  clergymen  with  him,  and  he  is  said,  by 
the  Rev.  George  Ross,  to  have  been  exceptionally  liberal  in  his  contri- 
butions for  Church  objects. 


CHURCH-GROWTH  UNTIL  THE  REVOLUTION     53 

Virginia  planters  endeavoured  to  avail  themselves  of 
an  act  of  the  Assembly  by  which  they  might  commute 
payment  at  the  former  market  rate.  To  this  course 
the  clergy  took  exception ;  and  they  seemed  to  carry 
the  public  with  tliem  in  their  view  of  what  was  justly 
due  them.  At  this  juncture,  the  planters  were  fortu- 
nate enough  to  gain  the  advocac}'^  of  Patrick  Henry, 
who,  in  conducting  what  was  afterwards  known  as  the 
"  Parsons'  cause,"  was  discovered  to  possess  sucli 
powers  as  an  orator  as  enabled  him  not  only  to  win 
this  case,  but  to  secure  at  once  a  foremost  place  among 
the  public  men  of  his  day.  The  act  to  which  reference 
has  been  made  had  not  been  approved  by  the  King,, 
but  the  Assembly  determined  to  enforce  it.  The 
verdict  in  favour  of  the  laymen  was  rendered  amidst 
great  excitement,  which  had  been  all  the  more  intensi- 
fied by  the  vehemence  of  Henry's  invectives  against 
the  King,  who,  said  he,  "  by  disallowing  acts  of  a 
salutary  nature,  from  being  the  father  of  his  people 
degenerates  into  a  tyrant,  and  forfeits  all  rights  to  his 
subjects'  obedience."  He  was  then  but  twenty-seven 
years  of  age.  It  was  not  long  before  he  became  the 
leader  of  the  party  that  precipitated  the  open  rebellion 
against  the  throne,  which  eventually  led  to  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  Colonies.^ 

We  are  enabled    to   estimate   the   value  put  upon 
other  things  besides  ministers'  salaries  by  the  amount 


'  Patrick  Henry  was  not,  as  some  have  alleged,  an  unbeliever. 
At  heart  he  was  a  Churchman,  and  in  the  latter  days  of  his  life  he 
showed  in  various  ways  his  friendliness  to  the  Church  and  to  religion 
in  general. 


54        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

of  tobacco  allowed.  The  cost  of  three  surplices  was 
fixed  at  5003  lbs.  In  Bristol  parish,  one  Henry 
Tatem  was  paid  500  lbs.  for  setting  the  Psalms.  In 
St.  George's  parish  a  fine  of  500  lbs.  was  imposed 
upon  such  as  absented  themselves  from  church ;  while 
those  who,  "in  contempt  of  the  Divine  Sacrament  of 
Baptism,  refused  to  have  their  children  christened," 
were  to  pay  2000  lbs. 

In  this  connection  a  curious  question  may  be  noted, 
which  for  a  while  caused  considerable  debate,  viz., 
whether  by  reason  of  being  baptized  the  slaves  were 
made  free.  The  Assembly  finally  decided  that  their 
outward  relations  to  their  masters  were  not  thereby 
altered.^ 

Among  the  clergy  of  Virginia  belonging  to  this 
period,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Boucher  occupied  a  pro- 
minent position.  He  was  rector  of  St.  Mary's  parish, 
Caroline  County,  and  was  a  forcible  and  fervent 
advocate  of  Church  principles,  including  the  Episco- 
pate, which  he  laboured  assiduously  to  secure.  He 
expressed  his  abhorrence  of  slavery,  and  urged  his 
people  to  prepare  for  its  ultimate  abolition.  He 
opposed   the   idea  of  national  independence,  and  on 

J  This  same  question  was  discussed  at  the  court  of  James  II.,  a 
monarch  whose  personal  character  would  h?rdly  have  prepared  us 
for  finding  in  him  much  solicitude  on  so  pi\.  V  religious  a  subject. 
Evelyn,  however,  makes  this  record  :  "  I  may  not  forget  a  resolution 
which  his  Majesty  made,  and  had  a  little  before  entered  upon  it  at 
the  Council-Board  at  Windsor  or  Whitehall,  that  the  Negroes  in  the 
Plantations  should  be  baptized,  exceedingly  declaiming  against  that 
impiety  of  their  masters  prohibiting  it,  out  of  a  mistaken  opinion 
that  they  would  be  ipso  facto  free  ;  but  his  Majesty  persists  in  his 
resolution  to  have  them  christened,  which  piety  the  Bishop  [Ken] 
blessed  him  for." 


CHURCH-GROWTH  UNTIL  THE  REVOLUTION     55 

this  account  returned  in  1785  to  England,  where  lie 
became  Vicar  of  Epsom,  and  engaged  largely  in  Hte- 
rary  labours.^ 

The  Rev.  Devereux  Jarratt  was  also  a  most  ex- 
emplary and  influential  clergyman  in  Virginia  during 
this  same  period.  He  exhibited  strong  faith  in  the 
future  of  the  American  Church.  He  warmly  espoused 
the  Colonial  cause,  and  urged  his  people  to  make  any 
sacrifice  in  its  behalf  that  was  within  their  power. 
"  Better,"  said  he,  "  to  go  patch  upon  patch  than  suffer 
just  rights  to  be  infringed." 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  that,  in  the  answer  which 
the  clergy  of  this  colony,  when  assembled  in  Con- 
vention in  1 7 19,  made  to  a  communication  from  the 
Bishop  of  London,  they  lamented  that  they  were 
sometimes  obliged  to  administer  the  Sacraments 
"  without  the  decent  habits  and  proper  Ornaments  and 
Vessels  which  our  established  Liturgy  requires."^ 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  w^hich  was  held 
in  the  choir  of  the  church  at  Jamestown,  July  30, 
1619,  the  first  steps  were  taken  for  the  establishment 
of  a  university  and  college,  as  well  for  the  Indian 
children  as  for  those  of  the  colonists.  It  was  to  be 
named  the  University  of  Henrico  and  the  East  India 
Free  School.  It  doubtless  would  have  been  founded 
then,  but  for  the  disastrous  Indian  massacre  of  Ope- 
cancanough.     For  a  number  of  subsequent  years,  the 

^  He  published,  in  1799)  "A  View  of  the  Causes  and  Consequences  of 
the  American  Revolution,"  dedicated  to  General  Washington,  and  con- 
taining many  entertaining  anecdotes. 

'  The  churchwardens  in  Virginia  were  required  by  law  to  provide 
these  ornaments,  as  well  as  to  keep  the  church  buildings  in  repair. 


56        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

project  seemed  dead.  In  the  Assembly  of  1 660-61, 
another  act  was  passed  in  reference  to  it.  But  very 
little  seems  to  have  been  done  to  carry  out  its  pro- 
visions until  the  arrival  of  the  Rev.  James  Blair,  D.D, 
This  clergyman  was  born  and  educated  in  Scotland, 
where  he  officiated  for  a  while.  He  afterwards  re- 
moved to  England,  where  his  talents  attracted  the 
notice  of  Dr.  Compton,  Bishop  of  London,  who  pre- 
vailed upon  him,  in  1685,  to  go  as  missionary  to 
Virginia.  He  was  for  nine  years  rector  of  Henrico 
Parish,  and  in  1689  was  appointed  commissary.  He 
shortly  afterwards  began  to  collect  funds  for  the  pro- 
posed college,  which  before  long  amounted  to  ;^2500. 
He  went  to  England  in  1691,  and  obtained  the  pat- 
ronage and  charter  of  the  King  and  Queen  for  William 
and  Mary  College,  of  which  he  was  named  the  first 
President.  In  the  charter,  it  was  provided  that  the 
institution  should  be  a  seminary  for  the  education  of 
fit  men  for  the  sacred  ministry,  and  also  for  the  pro- 
pagation of  the  Christian  faith.  The  buildings  were 
designed  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren.  The  first  com- 
mencement was  held  in  1700,  and  was  an  event  of 
great  interest  throughout  the  colony.  The  buildings 
were  destroyed  by  fire  in  1705,  and  re-erected  in 
1719-23.  Inasmuch  as  the  wealthy  planters  con- 
tinued for  a  while  to  send  their  sons  to  England  for 
education,  and  the  governors  and  many  of  the  clergy 
held  aloof,  it  required  great  energy  on  the  part  of 
Dr.  Blair  to  make  a  success  of  the  enterprise.  A 
number  of  the  young  men  who  went  to  England  for 
ordination  were    indebted  for  their  early  training  to 


CHURCH-GROWTH  UNTIL  THE  REVOLUTION     57 

this  institution.  Prior  to  the  year  1689,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Temple  appears  to  have  acted  as  commissary  under 
some  sort  of  verbal  authority.  A  number  of  free 
schools  existed  at  this  time  in  Virginia,  supported 
mostly  by  the  planters.  In  1724,  there  were  as  many 
as  four  schools  in  a  number  of  parishes,  in  some  of 
which  Latin  and  Greek  were  taught. 

We  have  mentioned  several  names  among  the  more 
prominent  clergymen.  Among  the  active  and  useful 
laymen  in  these  da3'S  of  Virginia  were  Morgan  Morgan 
(one  of  the  founders  of  Mill  Creek  Church)  and  his 
son.  Both  were  devout  men,  who  served  for  some 
time  most  acceptably  as  lay-readers,  of  whom  there 
were  a  good  many  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 

Not  all  the  laymen  were  total  abstainers.  We  read 
that,  in  1703,  an  order  was  issued  by  one  of  the  country 
vestries  for  two  gallons  of  rum  for  the  use  of  the  work- 
men engaged  in  underpinning  a  church — certainly  a 
liberal  supply  for  such  a  job. 

Attendance  upon  public  worship  was  oftentimes 
accompanied  by  perils  and  anxiety.  Many  of  the 
people  brought  with  them  their  fire-arms  and  a  supply 
of  ammunition,  to  protect  themselves  from  Indians. 
Later  on,  we  have  an  account  of  a  clerg^^man,  living 
near  the  present  city  of  Washington,  who  for  more 
than  six  months  preached  with  a  pair  of  loaded  pis- 
tols on  the  cushion  by  his  side,  that  he  might  defend 
himself  against  any  attempt  to  remove  him  from  the 
pulpit  on  account  of  his  political  views. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  original 
efforts  put  forth  by  the  Church  for  the  evangelisation 


58       HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

of  Maryland.  The  early  settlers  there  were  very 
earnest  and  persistent  in  asking  for  clergymen.  Yet, 
notwithstanding  the  interest  in  the  matter  shown  by  the 
King  and  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbur}',  there  were 
only  three  clergymen  in  the  province  at  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  At  that  time,  by  actual  investi- 
gation, it  was  found  that  of  the  whole  population,  ten- 
twelfths  were  Protestants,  one-twelfth  Quakers,  and 
the  same  number  Roman  Catholics.  Appeals  (seconded 
by  the  Governor  and  Assembly)  were  frequent  and 
strong  for  bishops,  or,  in  their  absence,  for  at  least 
a  commissary.  In  this  latter  capacity,  Bishop  Comp- 
ton  appointed  the  Rev.  Thomas  Bray,  D.D.,  a  clergy- 
man of  marked  ability  and  devotion.  Before  setting 
sail  for  America,  he  busied  himself  in  securing  the 
proper  kind  of  missionaries  to  accompany  him.  He 
also  projected  a  scheme  for  supplying  the  Colonial 
parishes  with  libraries  which  might  be  instructive  for 
both  minister  and  people.  Before  he  died,  nearly  forty 
of  them  were  established  in  America,  besides  as  many 
in  England  and  elsewhere.^  The  first  was  at  Annapolis, 
and  it  received  a  liberal  donation  from  the  Princess 
Anne,  in  honour  of  whom  that  capital  was  named. 
These  efforts  led  to  the  formation,  in  1698,  of  the 
Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge. 

DifTerent  acts  of  Parliament  were  passed  in   1692 
and  1694  for  the  establishment  of  the  Church  in  Mary- 


'  This  same  work,  under  the  fostering  care  of  a  body  known  as  Dr. 
Bray's  Associates,  is  still  carried  on  in  various  parts  of  Great  Britain 
and  her  colonies.  There  are  in  all  not  less  than  three  hundred  of  such 
libraries  in  various  parts  of  the  world. 


CHURCH-GROWTH  UNTIL  THE  REVOLUTION     59 

land,  which  object  had  been  more  or  less  accomplished 
by  earlier  legislation  on  the  part  of  the  Provincial 
Assembly,  whose  members  in  the  beginning  were  care- 
ful, in  protecting  the  rights  of  the  Church  of  England, 
to  be  tolerant  of  other  religious  societies  and  opinions. 
Lord  Baltimore,  under  whom  the  formal  settlement  of 
Maryland  began,  was  at  the  time  a  Roman  Catholic ; 
but  the  charter  by  Charles  I.  (1632),  under  which  he 
proceeded,  distinctly  recognised  and  established  the 
Church  of  England,  and  nothing  was  to  be  done  con- 
trary to  the  ecclesiastical  law  of  the  realm  of  Eng- 
land. His  own  acts  recognised  the  Church  of  England 
as  the  rightful  authority.^  The  Assembly  of  1639  and 
that  of  1640  declared  that  "Holy  Church  within  this 
Province  shall  have  her  rights  and  liberties." 

Much  interest  has  centered  around  a  controversy 
as  to  the  origin  of  that  act  of  religious  toleration  for 
which  Maryland  is  so  justly  celebrated,  having  been, 
it  is  claimed,  the  first  legally  constituted  government 
that  formulated  a  sentiment  now  almost  universally 
held.  Great  pains  have  been  taken  by  Roman  Catholics 
to  prove  that  the  credit  for  such  legislation  belongs  to 
them.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  Lord  Baltimore, 
although  a  fair  man,^  and  one  of  uncommonly  liberal 
proclivities,  was  an  alien  as  to  his  religion,  and  that 
therefore  he  and  his  fellow  Roman  Catholics  were 
really  the  tolerated  party  in  the  Anglican  province. 

^  See  "Our  Freedom  and  our  Catholic  Heritage,"  a  charge  by 
the  Right  Rev.  William  Parel,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Maryland,  1890, 
pp.  18,  19. 

^  It  was  he  who  dispossessed  the  Jesuits  of  land  which  they  had 
illegally  obtained  from  the  Indians. 


6o       HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Moreover,  it  is  altogether  likely — if  not  morally  cer- 
tain— that  a  decided  majority  of  the  Assembly  which 
passed  the  act  forbidding  the  molesting  of  any  one 
who  professed  to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  were  Pro- 
testants, and  members  of  the  English  Church. 

In  1648  William  Stone,  the  Governor — an  ancestor 
of  Bishop  Stone  of  Maryland — took  the  following  oath: 
"  I  will  not  molest,  trouble,  or  discountenance  any 
person  in  this  province  professing  to  believe  in  Jesus 
Christ,  in  particular  no  Roman  Catholic."  What  does 
this  signify  but  that  the  Roman  Catholics  were  the 
tolerated  and  the  protected  ? 

W^hile  there  was  this  liberty  accorded  to  all  who 
acknowledged  the  cardinal  tenets  of  Christianity,  the 
Assembly  did  not  hesitate  to  condemn  anything  like 
open  hostility  to  such  tenets.  Blasphemy,  the  denial 
of  Christ's  Divinity  and  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity, 
were  punished  with  death.  Reproachful  words  as  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin  or  the  Apostles  were  punished  with 
fine,  imprisonment,  or  whipping. 

It  may  be  true  that  afterwards  the  Roman  Catholics 
when  in  power  permitted  other  Christians  to  settle 
and  to  enjoy  such  worship  as  they  preferred,  so  long 
as  it  was  really  Christian  worship.^  It  certainly  is 
true  that  so  soon  as  the  Independents,  or  adherents 
of  the  Parliament,  obtained,  in  the  early  years  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  the  ascendency,  they  repealed  the 
laws  of  toleration,  prohibited  "  Popery  and  Prelacy," 

^  The  benefit  of  a  doubt  is  given  to  them,  for  it  has  recently  been 
maintained  by  some  historical  students  that  there  is  no  evidence  to 
prove  that  they  had  a  majority  in  the  Assembly. 


CHURCH-GROWTH  UNTIL  THE  REVOLUTION    6i 

forbade  the  Roman  clergy  from  saying  Mass,  except  in 
private  houses,  and  generally  from  exercising  any  of 
their  spiritual  functions.  They  were  also,  by  reason 
of  test  oaths,  debarred  from  holding  offices.  But  this 
action  cannot  be  charged  against  the  Churchmen  of 
the  day,  who,  of  course,  were  not  participants  in  the 
revolution  which  brought  it  about. 

At  the  beginning  of  Dr.  Bray's  incumbency  as  com- 
missary, but  before  he  had  left  England,  an  act  of 
Assembly  was  passed,  compelling  the  use  of  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  in  every  place  of  public  worship 
within  the  province.  This,  however,  was  seen,  upon 
remonstrances  from  the  Roman  Catholics  and  Quakers, 
to  be  unfair,  as  also  inconsistent  with  former  acts 
of  toleration.  Therefore  it  was  repealed.  Dr.  Bray 
now  thought  it  necessary  that  he  should  go  to  Mary- 
land, and  accordingly  went  thither  in  December  1699. 
Upon  his  arrival,  he  called  the  clergy  together  in  con- 
vention, and  conferred  with  them  as  to  matters  con- 
cerning the  welfare  of  the  Church.  He  immediately 
afterwards  set  about  his  parochial  visitations,  which 
were  productive  of  much  good.  In  1701  he  returned 
to  England,  and,  by  means  of  laws  which  he  was 
mainly  instrumental  in  having  passed  and  royally 
approved,  the  Church  was  fully  established  in  Mary- 
land, both  as  to  its  polity  and  the  support  of  its 
ministers.  In  this  same  year,  he  had  the  signal 
honour  of  obtaining  a  charter  for  the  Society  for 
the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,  to 
whose  benefactions  the  whole  world  has  been  and 
is    now   so    largely  indebted.       Indeed,   it    is   difficult 


62       HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

to  over-estimate  the  debt  of  gratitude  still  owing  by 
the  American  Church  to  this  venerable  society.  In 
1706,  Dr.  Bray  accepted  the  living  of  S.  Botolph- 
vi^ithout-Aldgate,  and  thenceforth  resided  in  England, 
although  in  various  ways  he  continued  until  his  death 
to  manifest  his  warm  and  intelligent  interest  in  the 
American  Colonies. 

Among  the  most  laborious  and  scholarly  clergymen 
in  Maryland  during  this  period  was  the  Rev.  Hugh 
Jones,  who,  in  1696,  became  rector  of  Christ  Church, 
Calvert  County.  He  was  afterwards  a  professor  in 
William  and  Mary  College. 

During  the  earher  days  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the 
Church's  revenues  were  not  infrequently  tampered 
with  by  the  Provincial  Legislatures.  Thus  those 
stipends  of  the  clergy  which  were  made  up  partly  of 
fees  and  tobacco  payments  were  considerably  reduced.^ 
Efforts  in  this  direction  were  stimulated  as  well  by 
political  agitators  as  by  unfriendly  Dissenters.  Some- 
times, too,  they  were  due  to  such  parishioners  as 
were  restive  under  the  rebukes  administered  to  them 
because  of  their  careless  and  evil  living.  Later  on, 
this  injustice  went  so  far  as  to  obtain  legislative  action 
forbidding  the  clergy  to  meet  together  for  consultation 
on  any  subject. 

This  hostility  to  the  Church  was  not  confined  to  an}' 
one  section.  She  had  to  fight  her  way  more  or  less — 
sometimes   for  her   very  existence — in    almost  every 

'  The  clergy  often  had  occasion  to  complain  that  the  tobacco  given 
them  in  payment  of  their  salaries  was  inferior  in  quality  to  that  which 
had  been  promised. 


CHURCH-GROWTH  USTIL  THE  REVOLUTION    6y 

part  of  the  country,  notably  so  in  New  England.  On 
the  Sunday  after  Ascension  Day,  May  23,  1686,  the 
Rev.  Robert  Ratclifife,  M.A.  Oxon.,^  who  had  arrived 
the  day  before  with  Joseph  Dudley,  President  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, held  his  first  service  and  preached  at 
Boston  in  the  Town-house,  which  was  fitted  up  with 
some  care  for  use  on  Sundays  and  other  days.  This 
building  was  so  occupied  for  some  time,  although 
efforts  were  constantly  made  by  the  Governor  to 
obtain  the  use  of  the  more  convenient  meeting-houses 
of  the  city.  In  the  following  year,  the  Governor,  Sir 
Edmund  Andrews,  renewed  these  efforts,  but  for  a 
while  without  avail.  Permission  to  ring  a  bell  for 
service  was  refused,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  be 
intrenching  on  the  liberty  of  conscience  ! 

At  length,  a  reluctant  consent  was  obtained  from 
the  authorities  of  "  South  Church,"  and  services  were 
held  there  (in  common  with,  but  at  different  hours 
from,  the  Puritans)  for  a  season.^  But  angry  disputes 
and  controversies  ensued.  Exception  was  taken  to 
the  time  consumed  in  sermons  and  in  the  celebration 
of  the  Holy  Communion.  (It  is  noteworthy  that  one 
of  the  first  steps  taken  by  these  pioneer  Churchmen 
was  the  establishment  of  the  weekly  offertory  for  the 
maintenance  of  services.) 

To  ensure  greater  peace  and  reverence,  Churchmen 
erected,  in   1689,  a  plain  structure,  known  as  King's 


*  lie  is  described  by  a  Dissenting  historian  as  "an  eminent  preacher." 
-  It  is  stated  by  some  that  this  building  was  used  by  order  of  the 

Governor.    See  "  History  of  the  American  Episcopal  Church,"  by  the 

Rev.  S.  D.  M  Connell,  D.D.,  p.  44. 


64        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Chapel,  and  situated  on  the  site  of  the  present  edifice. 
In  April  1689,  a  revolution  against  the  King  occurred, 
and  there  ensued  an  almost  entire  extinction  of  the 
Church  for  the  time  being.  The  Governor  and  others 
were  imprisoned,  and  the  chaplain  was  obliged  to  flee. 
The  chapel  was  mutilated  and  subjected  to  the  grossest 
indignities.  The  Prayer-Book  was  held  up  to  ridicule 
and  opprobrium  in  a  series  of  pamphlets,  and  those 
who  continued  to  use  it  were  denominated  Papist 
dogs  and  rogues,  idolaters,  and  the  like.  Despite  the 
abuse  and  danger  which  they  had  to  encounter,  other 
clergymen  were  found  willing  to  resume  the  services 
at  the  chapel,  and  in  1696  the  former  chaplain  returned 
from  England,  with  a  number  of  valuable  presents 
from  King  William  and  Queen  Mar}^  including  a  Com- 
munion service,  altar-linen,  &c.,  as  also  a  promise  of 
;^ioo  annually  for  the  support  of  the  clergy.  In  1710 
the  chapel  was  much  enlarged,  and  furnished  with  an 
organ,  which  instrument  was  the  first  of  its  kind  in 
New  England. 

It  may  be  convenient  to  give  at  this  point  the  con- 
cluding parts  of  the  history  of  this  chapel,  inasmuch 
as  it  constitutes  an  important  episode  in  the  annals  of 
the  Church  in  New  England.  Its  congregation  con- 
tinued to  grow,  until  at  the  accession  of  George  I.  it 
numbered  nearly  800.  In  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century  it  was  rebuilt  of  stone,  and  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Caner  became  rector.  Among  the  largest  contributors 
to  the  new  edifice  was  Peter  Faneuil,  who  gave  to  the 
city  the  hall  named  after  him,  which  has  been  so 
famous  for  many  years.     During  the  political  troubles 


CHURCH-GROWTH  UNTIL  THE  REVOLUTION     65 

which  brought  on  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  the  con- 
gregation were  scattered,  and  the  building  was  closed 
until  the  year  1777,  when  the  Old  South  Congre- 
gational Society  occupied  it  while  their  own  meeting- 
house was  being  repaired.  In  the  spring  of  1783, 
Churchmen  began  to  return  to  the  chapel,  but  in  many 
instances  with  their  ecclesiastical  views  sadly  tinctured 
with  Unitarianism  and  scepticism.  They  invited  a 
Mr.  Freeman,  a  pronounced  heretic,  to  be  their 
minister,  who  before  long  undertook  to  revise  the 
Prayer-Book  in  accordance  with  his  heterodox  ideas. 
Efforts  were  made  to  have  him  ordained  by  Bishop 
Seabury,  and  afterwards  by  Bishop  Provoost.  The 
former  prelate  instantly  refused.  The  latter  deferred 
action  until  the  General  Convention  should  decide  the 
matter.  The  congregation,  however,  in  anticipation  of 
a  refusal,  proceeded,  by  an  "ordaining  vote,"  and  by 
the  laying  on  of  hands  of  the  senior  warden,  to  make 
him  "  Rector,  Minister,  Priest,  Pastor,  Teaching  Elder, 
and  Public  Teacher  of  the  Society  worshipping  at 
King's  Chapel."  All  this  was  not  done  without  a 
formal  protest  from  the  minority  of  the  former  wor- 
shippers, who  were  also  sustained  in  their  action  by  a 
published  notice  on  the  part  of  the  clergy  in  Boston, 
warning  the  Church  against  Mr.  Freeman.  From  that 
time  until  now,  the  building  has  been  in  the  hands  of 
the  Unitarians,  who  show  no  disposition  to  restore  it  to 
its  rightful  owners,  although,  through  the  courtesy  of 
its  so-called  proprietors,  it  was  used  for  two  Sundays, 
in  1858,  by  the  congregation  of  the  Church  of  the 
Advent,  whose  building  was  then  undergoing  repairs. 


66       HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

William  Price  (who  died  in  1780)  founded  a  course 
of  lectures,  which  are  still  faithfully  delivered  in 
Trinity  Church,  Boston/  during  the  season  of  Lent, 
by  the  rectors  of  Trinity  Church  and  Christ  Church. 
Among  the  subjects  prescribed  in  the  will  by  Mr. 
Price  are  the  following :  The  Value  and  Necessity  of 
Fasting ;  of  the  Lord's  Supper ;  of  the  Duty  of  obeying 
Kings  ;  of  the  Errors  of  the  Church  of  Rome ;  against 
Enthusiasm  and  Superstition  ;  of  the  Sufferings  of  our 
Lord. 

^  These  lectures  were  given  in  King's  Chapel  until  about  1839, 
when  Trinity  Church  assumed  the  administration  of  the  trusts  under  the 
will.  They  were  delivered  there  again  during  the  year  after  Trinity 
Church  was  destroyed  by  fire. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  PURITANS,  THE  WESLEYS,  AND  IVHITEFIELD 

The  intolerance  of  the  Puritans — Tolerance  towards  them — Opposi- 
tion of  the  Quakers  — Church  growth  in  Rhode  Island — Bishop 
Berkeley — Lotteries — Benjamin  Franklin — Church-life  in  North 
Carolina— Early  services  in  Georgia — ^John  Wesley — His  zeal — • 
His  imprudence  —  His  return  to  England  —  Charles  Wesley  — 
Whitefield — His  ministrations — Estimate  of  his  influence — The 
Rev.  Dr.  M'Sparran. 

It  is  difficult  to  pursue  the  history  of  the  Church  in 
New  England,  beyond  the  periods  and  localities  in- 
cluded in  the  previous  chapters,  without  taking  some 
further  notice  of  the  course  adopted  by  the  Puritans. 
This  will  not  be  entered  into  with  any  fulness  of 
detail,  since,  from  the  illustrations  given,  the  reader 
can  easily  judge  what  Churchmen  had  to  endure  on 
this  account. 

With  that  inconsistency  which  usually  character- 
ises those  who  separate  themselves  from  the  Catholic 
Church,  the  Puritans  (whose  leaders  in  the  beginning 
were  from  among  the  English  clergy)  declared  that 
they  still  belonged  to  the  Church  of  England ;  and 
yet,  before  long,  they  joined  with  her  avowed  enemies 
in  reviling  and  persecuting  her.  There  seemed  to  be 
nothing  too  bad  for  them  to  say  or  do  against  her 

Liturgy  and  clergy.     It  is  not  uncharitable  to  allude 

67 


/ 


68        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

to  the  fact  that  their  motives  for  coming  to  America 
were  not  wholly  religious  and  unselfish.  Before  leav- 
ing England  originally,  they  had  prudently  obtained 
a  charter,  which  gave  them  a  monopoly  of  the  coasting 
trade  from  Nova  Scotia  to  the  southern  extremity  of 
Carolina,  a  trade  which  they  already  knew  to  be  a 
profitable  one.^  In  Presbyterian  Holland,  there  was 
but  little  hope  of  their  ever  gaining  the  ascendency, 
with  their  known  predilections  for  Episcopacy.  Natu- 
rally enough,  therefore,  with  their  love  of  power  and 
of  money,  they  looked  to  the  advantages  promised 
them  in  their  liberal  franchise.  It  would  also  appear 
that,  in  their  settlement  in  New  England,  they 
showed  but  little  regard  for  the  Indians,  who  had  for 
a  long  time  been  in  possession  of  the  land,  calling 
them  "  tawny  pagans,"  "  rabid  wolves,"  "  pernicious 
creatures,"  "very  devils."  Even  when  these  poor 
people  attempted  to  defend  themselves,  they  were 
cruelly  murdered.  In  a  "  History  of  Connecticut,"  the 
Puritans  are  accused  of  having  slaughtered  not  less 
than  180,000  in  that  province  and  in  Massachusetts. 

And  yet,  in  the  charter  granted  to  them,  in  1629,  by 
Charles  I.,  it  was  expressly  stated  that  the  .corporate 
powers  were  given  them  so  as  to  enable  them  to  win 
and  incite  the  natives  of  the  country  to  the  knowledge 
and  obedience  of  the  one  only  true  God  and  Saviour  of 
mankind,  which    intention  was  also  therein  declared 


'  The  settlement,  in  1638,  of  New  Haven  was  plainly  a  commercial 
scheme.  Even  earlier,  when  King  James  had  asked  what  profits  they 
anticipated  from  the  charter  which  they  were  seeking  at  his  hands, 
they  replied,  "  Fishing." 


PURITANS,  WESLEYS,  AND   WHITEFIELD       69 

to  be  their  own  free  profession,  and  the  principal  end 
of  that  profession.^ 

Unquestionably,  there  was  in  their  proscription  of 
others  something  of  what  may  be  called  religious  zeal. 
It  is,  however,  much  more  easy  to  discover  the  zeal 
than  the  religion.  They  complained  bitterly  (at  times, 
it  may  be,  justly  enough)  of  intolerance  towards  them- 
selves on  the  part  of  the  Church ;  and  yet,  before 
leaving  England,  they  had  spoken  of  her  as  "our  dear 
mother,"  and  considered  themselves  honoured  in  being 
allowed  to  employ  this  title.^  Indeed,  such  clergy- 
men as  Dr.  Lake  (the  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells)  and 
John  White  (rector  of  Dorchester),  in  encouraging  the 
colonists  to  go  out,  seem  to  have  expected  that  they 
would  be  true  to  their  Church  principles.  It  is  quite 
unlikely  that  otherwise  they  would  have  been  allowed 
to  depart. 

And  it  ought  to  be  remembered  that  it  was  from  a 
body  of  loyal  Churchmen'  (under  the  presidency  of 
Sir  Ferdinando  Gorges)  that  the  Leyden  Pilgrims  re- 
ceived permission  to  locate  at  Plymouth.  These  were 
generally  of  a  more  Churchly  and  conciliatory  disposi- 
tion than  their  brethren  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  The 
difference  between  them  is  plainly  to  be  seen  in  study- 
ing the  Seven  Articles  of  the  Church  of  Leyden. 

The  Puritans  were  friendly  enough  to  the  idea  of 
an  estabhshment,  but  it  was  to  be  one  conducted  on 

*  "  Ancient  Colony  Laws,"  pp.  14,  15. 

'  See  Winthrop's  farewell  letter. 

3  The  term  "  Plymouth  Company"  has  been  confounded  with  that 
of  the  Plymouth  or  Leyden  Pilgrims.  This  error  does  great  injustice 
to  the  character  of  the  Churchmen  who  constituted  the  society. 


70        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

such  a  policy  or  such  principles  as  they  themselves 
might  consider  best  calculated  to  accomplish  their 
own  ends.  Such  an  establishment  they  set  up  as 
soon  as  they  could  in  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut. 
An  act  against  heresy,  passed  in  1658,  speaks  of  "the 
Order  established  in  Church  and  Commonwealth."  ^ 
Indeed,  this  "order"  was  not  entirely  abolished  in 
Massachusetts  until  1834,  when,  the  Unitarians  having 
possessed  themselves  of  a  number  of  buildings  here- 
tofore occupied  by  the  Congregational  societies,  to 
whom  certain  taxes  had  been  all  along  appropriated,  a 
successful  effort  was  made  to  repeal  such  laws  as  had 
allowed  this  pecuniary  advantage.     . 

Even  Neal,  in  his  "  History  of  New  England,"  ^  is 
obliged  to  acknowledge  that  they  were  "no  better 
friends  to  liberty  of  conscience  than  their  adversaries, 
adding  that  "  the  question  between  them  was  not 
whether  one  party  of  Christians  should  have  power 
to  oppress  another,  but  2a/io  should  have  the  power ; " 
and  this  power  they  assumed  to  extend  even  beyond 
their  territorial  limits.  A  sea-captain,  who  in  mid- 
ocean  had  spoken  his  mind  freely  against  them,  was 
obliged  to  answer  for  it  to  them  in  Massachusetts. 

There  was  nothing  which  they  did  not  undertake 
to  regulate.  While  some  were  pleased  to  allow  that 
a  clergyman  ordained  by  an  English  bishop  required 
no  further  credentials  to  officiate  when  called  to  a 
society  of  Congregationalists,  others  compelled  such 
to  submit  to  "  a  reordination  by  the  brethren."     This 

*  "Ancient  Colony  Laws,"  p.  124. 
'  Vol.  i.  p.  329. 


PURITANS,  WESLEYS,  AND  WHITEFIELD      71 

ceremony  was  gone  through  with,  e.g.,  in  the  case  of 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  at  Newtown  (afterwards 
Cambridge),  in  the  year  1633,  and  of  Master  Cotton, 
at  Boston,  in  the  same  year.  Episcopal  ordination 
was  even  looked  upon  as  something  for  which  those 
receiving  it  must  needs  apologise,  and  there  seems 
to  be  reason  for  believing  that  in  some  instances  they 
were  obliged  to  recant  it. 

President  Oakes,  of  Harvard  College,  in  an  elec- 
tion sermon  before  the  civil  dignitaries,  declared,  "  I 
look  upon  toleration  as  the  first-born  of  all  abomi- 
nation." In  the  Larger  Catechism  (published  in 
1768),  tolerating  a  false  religion  is  classed  among 
the  transgressions  of  the  Second  Commandment. 
Under  such  instruction,  it  is  no  wonder  that  we  read 
a  great  deal  about  persecution  of  those  who  differed 
from  the  Puritans.  Persons  against  whom  the  only 
charge  was  that  they  had  petitioned  for  exemption 
from  some  of  the  lighter  taxes  and  for  more  liberty 
of  conscience,  were  imprisoned.  One  Briscoe,  who 
had  written  a  book  upon  the  subject,  was  punished 
by  the  magistrates. 

Some  offenders,  in  "  crimes  "  whose  enormity  it  is 
difficult  to  comprehend,  lost  their  ears ;  some  had 
their  tongues  bored  through  with  red-hot  irons,  were 
whipped  and  stai-ved ;  while  death  was  the  punish- 
ment of  others.^  Indeed,  the  cruelties  thus  practised 
became  so  notorious,  that  Charles  II.  was  obliged  to 
interfere  and  forbid  them.  They  ceased,  therefore, 
chiefly  because  they  were  no  longer  safe.  There  are 
^  See  Neal's  "  Puritans,"  vol.  i.  p.  334. 


72        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

some  now  numbered  among  the  Puritans'  eulogists 
who,  if  they  had  lived  in  the  days  of  these  same 
"  Pilgrim  Fathers,"  would  in  all  probability  have  been 
committed  by  them  to  the  flames.^ 

Mr.  John  Beach  writes  from  Reading,  in  the  middle 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  concerning  the  condition  of 
Connecticut  Churchmen  :  "The  case  of  this  people  is 
very  hard.  If  on  the  Lord's  Day  they  stay  at  home, 
they  must  be  punished.  If  they  meet  to  worship  God 
according  to  the  Church  of  England,  in  the  best  manner 
they  can,  their  mulct  is  still  greater ;  and  if  they  go  to 
the  Independent  meeting  in  the  town  where  they  live, 
tliey  must  endure  the  mortification  of  hearing  the 
doctrine  and  worship  of  the  Church  vilified  and  ener- 
vated by  enthusiastic  Antinomian  dreams."  ^  About 
this  same  period,  there  were  within  the  colony  four- 
teen churches  built  and  in  process  of  erection.  These 
were  served  by  seven  clergymen,  and  more  were  asked 
for  daily. 

In  Pennsylvania,  the  opposition  of  the  Quakers  still 
continued.  The  Church  people  of  Chester  secured  the 
services  of  a  very  competent  schoolmaster ;  but  no 
sooner  had  he  arrived  and  shown  his  interest  in  re- 
ligious affairs,  than  the  Quakers  engaged  a  Roman 
Catholic  teacher  to  come  and  endeavour  to  drive  out 
the   Churchmen   from    the   town.      They   also  joined 

*  See  "  Puritanism,"  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  W.  Coit.  See  also 
the  "Bohlen  Lectures"  (1882),  by  the  Right  Rev.  S.  S.  Harris,  D.D., 
pp  92-99. 

^  He  himself  had  been  cruelly  treated  by  the  Puritans,  who,  because 
of  his  use  of  the  Bible  and  Prayer-Book  (he  had  been  a  Congrega- 
tional minister),  had  his  house  burned  before  his  eyes. 


PURITANS,  WESLEYS,  AND  WHITEFIELD       73 

Deists  and  Jacobites  in  intimidating  children  from 
attending  his  school.  The  rector,  the  Rev.  Richard 
Backhouse,  was  at  the  same  time  (in  his  own  language) 
"  hunted  as  a  wild  beast,  to  be  run  down  or  drove 
away."  During  the  year  1729-30,  he  baptized  over 
1 50  adults  and  children.  In  Philadelphia,  between 
September  1741  and  March  15,  1742,  over  100  were 
baptized  by  the  Rev.  JEncdLS,  Ross.  In  this  number 
were  included  twelve  negro  men  and  women,  who  said 
their  Catechism  publicly  in  the  church,  to  the  great 
admiration  of  the  congregation.  At  Huntingdon,  in 
about  eighteen  months,  the  missionary,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Barton,  baptized  170  adults  and  infants.  He 
writes  energetically  (November  8,  1756,  shortly  after 
General  Braddock's  defeat)  of  "  the  sad  effects  of  Popish 
Tyranny  and  savage  Cruelty."  "Tho'  my  Churches," 
he  says,  "  are  Churches  militant  indeed,  subject  to 
dangers  and  trials  of  the  most  alarming  kind,  yet  I 
have  the  pleasure  every  Sunday,  even  at  the  worst 
of  Times,  to  see  my  people  crowding  with  their 
Muskets  on  their  shoulders ;  declaring  that  they 
will  dye  (sic)  Protestants  and  Freedmen  sooner  than 
live  Idolaters  and  Slaves."  The  Church  in  Phila- 
delphia continued  to  grow,  despite  the  opposition 
already  noted.  Resort,  however,  had  to  be  made  to 
what  came  to  be  subsequently  considered  very  ob- 
jectionable methods  of  raising  money.  In  1752, 
steps  were  taken  to  build  a  steeple  and  provide 
bells  for  Christ  Church,  and  in  furtherance  of  this 
project  a  lottery  was  formed,  of  which  Benjamin 
Franklin  (a  vestryman  of  the  parish)  was  one  of  the 


74        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

managers.^     Similar  measures  were  adopted  in  Church 
enterprises  elsewhere  throughout  the  country. 

In  the  neighbouring  province  of  Delaware  (or  rather 
what  was  called  "the  Territories  of  Pennsylvania," 
and  "  the  three  lower  Counties  on  Delaware  ")  some  of 
the  best  missionary  work  of  this  period  was  done.  It 
involved  much  tedious  travelling,  and  the  resources  of 
the  Church  were  very  limited ;  but  the  results  were 
on  the  whole  encouraging.  During  one  of  his  journeys 
in  Sussex  County,  the  Rev.  George  Ross  (who  for 
some  time  was  missionary  at  Newcastle)  baptized,  in 
the  course  of  a  week,  as  many  as  102  persons.  In 
the  following  spring  (17 17),  he  spent  another  week  in 
the  same  county,  accompanied  by  the  Governor,  Colonel 
William  Keith,  and  baptized  100  persons.  The  Rev. 
William  Becket,  who  followed  him  in  his  labours 
there,  was  a  very  zealous  and  successful  priest.  A 
complaint,  by  no  means  unnecessary  nowadays,  was 
entered  by  one  of  these  early  clergymen  in  his  report 
to  "  the  venerable  Society  " :  "  As  to  the  behaviour  of 
my  hearers  at  the  public  worship,  it  is  not  to  be  com- 
plained of,  save  that  the  word  Amen,  for  want  of  a 
clerk,  is  much  suppressed  among  us." 

The  Church's  growth  in  Rhode  Island  received  quite 


*  In  a  letter  addressed  to  his  daughter,  under  date  of  November  8, 
1754,  Franklin  writes:  "Go  constantly  to  church.  The  act  of  de- 
votion in  the  Common  Prayer-Book  is  your  principal  business  there, 
and,  if  properly  attended  to,  will  do  more  towards  amending  the 
heart  than  sermons  generally  do.  ...  I  wish  you  would  never  miss 
the  prayer  days."  It  was  he  who,  when  the  Convention  of  1787,  for 
framing  the  Federal  Constitution,  had  made  but  small  progress  in  its 
business,  proposed  that  the  clergy  of  Philadelphia  should  be  invited 
to  say  prayers  at  the  morning  sessions  of  the  Convention. 


PURITANS,  WESLEYS,  AND  WHITEFIELD      75 

an  impetus  from  the  temporary  residence  of  Dean 
(afterwards  Bishop)  Berkeley,  whose  pious  and  gene- 
rous intentions  and  labours  in  behalf  of  the  Colonies 
ought  always  to  be  most  gratefully  remembered.^ 
While  his  main  design  (the  establishment  of  a  college 
for  America)  was  not  carried  out,  owing  to  unfulfilled 
promises  on  the  part  of  his  political  friends,  his  work 
was  by  no  means  inconsiderable.  In  the  feeble  con- 
dition of  the  Church  at  that  time,  his  presence  and 
influence  must  have  done  much  to  reassure  the  faint- 
hearted and  faltering.  It  is  also  a  satisfaction  to  feel 
that,  in  the  happy  results  of  the  foundation  of  the 
Berkeley  Divinity  School  at  Middletown,  Connecticut, 
his  name  is  most  honourably  associated  with  the 
literature  and  theology  of  the  Church  he  loved  so 
dearly.2  His  preaching  attracted  great  crowds  of 
all  sects  at  Trinity  Church,  Newport.  "  Even  the 
Quakers,"  it  is  said,  "  with  their  broad-brimmed  hats, 
came  and  stood  in  the  aisles."  We  have  already  noted 
the  influence  he  exerted  upon  Samuel  Johnson  in 
bringing  him  into  the  Church.  On  his  return  to 
England,  and  up  to  his  death,  he  continued  to  show,  in 
various  ways,  his  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  Colonies. 
Especially  was  this  evinced  by  his  gift — largely  through 
the  assistance  of  his  friends — of  a  thousand  volumes 

*  In  the  year  1698,  through  the  agency  of  Sir  Francis  Nicholson,  a 
congregation  was  gathered  in  Newport  by  the  Rev.  John  Lockier.  In 
1702  a  church  was  built. 

'  It  is  but  justice,  in  a  volume  of  this  character,  to  record  the  fact 
that  much  of  the  good  reputation  and  efficiency  of  this  "school  of  the 
prophets"  is  owing,  under  God,  to  the  present  (1894)  Bishop  of 
Connecticut,  the  Right  Rev.  John  Williams,  D.D.,  LL  D.,  who  may 
fairly  be  considered  its  chief  founder  and  benefactor. 


76        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

to  the  library  of  Yale  College  (now  University).,  The 
farm  which  he  also  deeded  to  this  same  institution  still 
goes  by  the  name  of  "  The  Dean's  Farm." 

There  was  no  part  of  the  country,  perhaps,  where 
the  missionaries  of  the  Church  had  more  privations 
to  endure  during  this  period  than  in  North  Carolina. 
(The  former  colony  of  Carolina  was  divided,  in  1729, 
into  two  distinct  provinces,  North  and  South  Carolina.) 
Travelling  was  difficult ;  much  of  the  country  was  un- 
healthful ;  the  Nonconformists  offered  violent  opposi- 
tion ;  the  stipends  were  meagre  and  only  partially  paid. 
To  save  themselves  and  their  families  from  starving, 
some  were  compelled  to  labour  with  their  own  hands 
in  various  ways.  In  1703,  Mr.  Henderson  wrote  to 
the  Bishop  of  London  that  for  twenty-one  years  there 
was  neither  priest  nor  altar.  In  1704,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Blair  came  from  England,  and  in  a  short  time  baptized 
100  children.  By  an  act  of  Assembly  passed  in  1715, 
the  entire  province  was  divided  into  nine  parishes,  and 
the  vestries  fixed  the  stipends  at  not  more  than  ^^50. 
The  name  of  the  Rev.  Clement  Hall  is  well  entitled  to 
a  place  of  honour  among  these  pioneer  missionaries. 
With  a  stipend  from  the  S.P.G.  of  not  more  than  ^^30 
per  annum,  and  in  anything  but  robust  health,  he 
laboured  most  incessantly  over  a  large  area  for  more 
than  ten  years,  until  he  was  obliged,  from  physical 
exhaustion,  to  ask  for  a  less  trying  field.  He  computed 
that  in  the  eight  years  ending  with  1752,  he  had 
travelled  not  less  than  14,000  miles,  preached  700 
sermons,  and  baptized  more  than  6000  children  and 
adults,  including  several  hundred  negroes  and  Indians. 


Puritans,  wesleys,  and  whitefield     77 

In  Rowan  County  alone,  there  were,  in  1766,  nearly 
2000  members  of  the  Church,  as  shown  by  returns 
made  to  Governor  Tryon. 

The  chief  interest  in  the  early  ecclesiastical  history 
of  Georgia  is  centered  in  the  persons  of  men  whose 
names  became  well  known  everywhere.  The  colony 
was  favoured  in  having  for  its  founder  so  benevolent 
and  experienced  a  man  as  General  Oglethorpe,  whose 
praises  have  been  sung  by  both  Pope  and  Thomson, 
and  who  so  excited  the  admiration  of  Dr.  Johnson,  that 
he  expressed  his  willingness  to  write  his  life  if  he  were 
furnished  with  the  necessary  material.  In  his  first 
expedition,  which  landed  in  January  1733,  he  had  as 
chaplain  the  Rev.  Henry  Herbert,  D.D.,  who  was 
assisted  in  his  work  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Quinc}'. 
Ser\'ices  were  held  in  a  hut,  made  of  split  boards, 
30X  12  feet  in  dimensions.  It  was  not  long  after  the 
organisation  of  the  settlement  that  the  father  of  John 
and  Charles  Wesley  died  at  his  rectory  at  Epworth. 
The  old  man  (who  presented  the  infant  colony  with  a 
chalice  and  paten)  had  joined  the  nobility  and  gentry 
in  congratulating  Oglethorpe,  who  had  temporarily 
returned  to  England,  upon  the  success  of  his  philan- 
thropic enterprise,  and  had  added  his  personal  thanks 
for  some  substantial  favours  shown  him  by  the  dis- 
tinguished voyager.  So  it  was  that  he  and  the  Weslevs 
were  brought  into  intimate  relations  with  each  other. 
When  Oglethorpe  was  about  going  again  to  Georgia, 
he  persuaded  the  tv.-o  brothers  to  accompany  him. 
They  sailed  with  him  from  Gravesend,  October  13,  1735. 
Their  chief  object  was  the  conversion  of  the  Indians. 


78        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

In  his  journal,  begun  on  the  following  day,  John  makes 
this  entry :  "  Our  end  in  leaving  our  native  country 
was  not  to  avoid  want  (God  having  given  us  plenty  of 
temporal  blessings),  nor  to  gain  the  dung  or  dross  of 
riches  or  honour;  but  singly  this,  to  save  our  souls 
to  live  wholly  to  the  glory  of  God."  Charles  re- 
mained in  Savannah  only  about  four  months.  He  was 
energetic  and  laborious,  but  from  want  of  discretion 
became  so  involved  in  difficulties  with  Oglethorpe  and 
others  that  his  usefulness  was  greatly  impaired.  "  I 
could  not  be  more  trampled  upon,"  he  wrote,  "were  I 
a  fallen  minister  of  state.  My  few  well-wishers  are 
afraid  to  speak  to  me ;  the  servant  that  used  to  wash 
my  linen  sent  it  back  unwashed.  Thanks  be  to  God  ! 
it  is  not  yet  made  a  capital  offence  to  give  me  a  morsel 
of  bread."  He  seems  to  have  been  very  strenuous  as 
to  a  literal  interpretation  of  the  rubrics,  and  was  (like 
his  brother)  almost  immovable  in  insisting  upon  trine 
immersion. 

John  was  most  diligent  in  his  ministry  (he  hardly 
had  an  hour's  rest  on  Sundays),  and  set  for  others  a 
high  standard  of  discipline.^  For  a  while,  the  people 
were  moved  by  his  evident  earnestness,  and  gave  him 
credit  for  great  piety ;  but  before  long  he  excited 
their  suspicions  as  to  his  orthodoxy  and  sincerity. 
They  began  to  resent  his  efforts  to  enforce  the  strict 
discipline  which  he  had  laid  down,  under  the  title  of 
"Apostolical  Institutions."     He  was  accused  of  fana- 

^  Christ  Church,  .Savannah,  was  the  only  American  parish  he  ever 
had.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Whitefield,  who  succeeded  him  in  this 
cure. 


PURITANS,  WESLEY S,  AND  WHITEFIELD      79 

ticism,  hypocrisy,  and  of  being  at  heart  a  Papist. 
This  latter  charge  was  based  in  part  upon  his  efforts 
to  introduce  auricular  confession  and  acts  of  penance. 
He  might  possibly  have  overcome  the  prejudice  thus 
enkindled  against  him,  had  it  not  been  for  a  formidable 
trouble  in  which  his  love  affairs  involved  him.  Shortly 
after  his  arrival,  he  became  enamoured  of  a  lady 
who  is  variously  spoken  of  as  a  niece  of  Thomas 
Causton  (a  magistrate,  and  Oglethorpe's  agent)  and  a 
niece  of  his  wife.  He  erroneously  supposed  that  she 
returned  his  affection,  but  before  long  she  married  a  Mr. 
Williamson.  Who  can  tell  the  effect  thus  produced 
upon  the  future  life  of  the  famous  reformer  ?  Mrs. 
Williamson  did  not  withdraw  herself  from  Wesley's 
ministrations,  but  in  some  way  her  conduct  appeared 
reprehensible  to  him,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  re- 
prove her  publicly.  This  act  enraged  Mr.  Causton, 
and  he  demanded  a  public  apology,  which  was  refused. 
Wesley  then  warned  Mrs.  Williamson  not  to  come  to 
the  Holy  Communion.  Her  husband  instituted  a  suit 
against  him,  and  claimed  damages  to  the  amount  of 
;^iooo.  When  he  appeared  before  the  magistrates 
and  denied  the  charge  of  defaming  her  character,  he 
contradicted  their  right  even  to  interrogate  him  con- 
cerning the  charge  of  refusing  the  Lord's  Supper, 
saying  that  it  was  a  matter  purely  ecclesiastical,  and 
was  therefore  beyond  their  jurisdiction.  A  true  bill 
was  found  against  him  by  the  Grand  Jury,^  who  in 

^  The  jury  was  not  unanimous  in  the  matter,  a  number  of  the 
members  protesting  against  the  charges  as  libellous,  and  justifying  his 
course  in  the  ecclesiastical  matters  included  in  the  indictment. 


8o        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

their  indictment  went  quite  beyond  the  matter  specially 
referred  to  them,  and  covered  the  whole  ground  of 
dissatisfaction  with  him,  in  a  series  of  grievances,  or 
"  deviations  from  the  principles  and  regulations  of  the 
Estabhshed  Church." 

The  case  never  came  fairly  before  the  court,  and 
all  attempts  at  reconciliation  failed.  But  few  persons 
presented  themselves  at  the  weekly  Eucharist,  and 
Wesley  at  last  announced  his  intention  to  set  sail  for 
England.  The  magistrates  ordered  him  to  give  bail 
for  his  appearance  in  court,  but  he  disregarded  their 
threats;  and,  towards  the  close  of  the  year  1737,  he 
left  Georgia,  amid  the  anathemas  of  some  and  the 
blessings  of  others.  In  1758,  the  Assembly  passed  an 
act  by  which  the  province  was  divided  into  eight 
parishes,  and  recognition  was  made  of  the  doctrine 
and  discipline  of  the  Church  of  England.  In  1 77 1,  the 
census  of  Savannah  showed  11 85  Churchmen,  out  of  a 
total  population  of  1995. 

Wesley,  in  his  earnest  appeals  for  helpers  in  the 
work  of  evangelising  America,  had  touched  the  heart 
of  George  Whitefield.  He  oifered  himself,  while  yet 
a  deacon,  as  a  missionary  to  the  S.P.G.^  Leaving 
hosts  of  ardent  admirers  and  prospects  of  a  most 
flattering  character,  he  started  for  Georgia,  without 
suspecting  that  he  might  cross  Wesley  on  his  way 
home,  but  thinking  to  serve  with  him  in  the  labours 
to  which  he  had  been  invited.     It   was  on  Rogation 


^  It  would  appear  that  the  Society  did  not  formally  appoint  him,  and 
that  his  name  was  found  in  its  proceedings  only  in  connection  with  the 
assaults  which  he  so  continually  made  upon  its  nuBsionaiies. 


PURITANS,  WESLEYS,  AND  WHITEFIELD      8i 

Sunday,  May  7,  1738,  that  he  reached  Savannah.  He 
immediately  began  his  ministrations,  but  was  soon 
obh'ged  to  suspend  them  for  a  while,  on  account  of 
illness.  When  he  resumed  them,  it  was  with  all  the 
greater  energy.  While  he  was  busy  in  various  direc- 
tions, his  chief  occupation  was  public  preaching.  For 
the  purpose  of  receiving  priest's  orders,  and  also  of 
soliciting  funds  for  a  proposed  orphanage  in  the 
colony,  he  returned  in  the  autumn  to  England,  where 
he  was  ordained  by  the  Bishop  of  Gloucester,  January 
H>  1739-  ^^  remained  there  until  August  of  the 
same  year,  diligently  employing  the  intervening  months 
in  preaching  and  in  gathering  money  for  the  orphan- 
age. Wherever  he  went,  great  crowds  flocked  to  hear 
him.  His  eccentricities  caused  some  incumbents  to 
refuse  him  their  pulpits,  but  in  such  cases  he  had  all 
the  larger  congregations  (especially  of  colliers)  at  his 
open-air  services.  After  his  arrival  from  England,  he 
travelled  south  leisurely,  stopping  and  preaching  on 
his  way  in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  elsewhere. 
On  his  return  to  Savannah,  he  assumed  charge  of  the 
parish,  and  inaugurated  his  orphan-house,  which  he 
called  Bethesda. 

It  was  not  long  before  he  instituted  such  a  series  of 
irregularities  in  the  conduct  of  public  worship,  and 
contracted  such  an  alliance  with  Dissenters,  as  weaned 
from  him  the  sympathy  of  the  more  pronounced 
Churchmen.  These  were  still  more  alienated  from  him 
by  reason  of  his  ridicule  of  some  of  the  prominent 
divines  of  the  Church,  his  disuse  of  surplice  and  gown, 
and  other  like  proceedings.      In  Charleston,  he  was 


82        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

bound  over  to  answer  in  court  the  charge  of  hbel 
against  the  clergy;  and,  as  we  have  already  noted, 
Commissary  Garden  suspended  him  for  omitting  the 
use  of  the  Prayer-Book.  He  gave  security  for  his 
appearance,  and  sailed  again  for  England,  where  for  a 
while  he  would  seem  to  have  lost  his  former  popularity. 
In  time,  however,  it  returned,  and  great  congregations 
followed  him  from  place  to  place.  He  made  a  number 
of  other  journeys  across  the  Atlantic,  and  in  America 
travelled  throughout  all  the  colonies.^  It  was  in  his 
mind  to  develop  the  orphanage  into  a  State  universit}', 
but  death  overtook  him  before  his  plans  in  this  respect 
were  ripened.  He  died  at  Newburyport,  Massachusetts, 
September  30,  1770,  and  his  bones  are  still  shown, 
with  something  akin  to  superstitious  reverence,  in  a 
brick  vault  under  the  pulpit  in  what  is  known  as  the 
"  Old  South  Presbyterian  Church  "  in  that  town.  This 
appropriation  by  Dissenters  of  his  remains  seems 
hardly  consistent  with  his  own  final  declaration  that 
he  still  considered  himself  in  the  communion  of  the 
Anglican  Church.  He  was  buried  in  gown,  cassock, 
and  bands.  Some  few  years  ago,  a  part  of  an  arm 
was  carried  off  to  England,  but  the  conscience-stricken 
thief  subsequently  returned  it. 

In  their  correspondence  with  the  S.P.G.,  a  number 
of  the  missionaries  gave  vent  to  the  strong  convictions 
which  they  had  as  to  his  vagaries  and  the  harm  result- 
ing therefrom.  Mr.  Ross,  in  writing  from  New  Castle, 
Delaware,  under  date  of  August  i,  1740,  speaks  of  his 

^  His  favourite  motto  was,  "It  is  better  to  wear  out  than  to  rust 
put." 


PURITANS,  WESLEYS,  AND  WHITEFIELD      83 

"opprobrious  language,"  styles  him  " the  mischievous 
Mr.  Whitfield,"  "this  indefatigable  impostor  in  gown 
and  cassock."  Mr.  Backhouse,  of  Chester,  writes,  on 
August  23,  1740,  "That  great  enthusiast  (to  say  no 
worse  of  him),  Mr.  Whitfield,  has  preached  twice  at 
our  town.  But  most  of  those  belonging  to  my  con- 
gregations are  far  from  entertaining  even  a  common 
good  opinion  of  him."  Mr.  Howie,  the  missionary  at 
Oxford,  Pennsylvania,  declares  that  "  he  has  done  a 
great  deal  of  harm,"  and  calls  upon  the  authorities 
at  home  to  "  put  a  stop  to  his  mad  career."  "  He 
has  printed  in  the  public  newspaper  vile  libels  against 
the  great  and  good  prelate,  Archbishop  Tillotson,  and 
another  against  that  excellent  book,  'The  Whole 
Duty  of  Man,'  and  desired  a  great  auditory  to  burn  it, 
telHng  them  that  he  would  burn  as  many  as  came  to 
his  hand."  "  He  has  warmly  admonished  his  hearers 
to  frequent  in  his  absence  the  Presbyterian  and  Ana- 
baptist meetings.  He  has  violently  exclaimed  (like  a 
true  fanatic)  against  the  Body  of  Bishops  and  Clergy 
of  England,"  «S:c.  "  I  have  observed  that  infidels  and 
Deists  seem  strongly  inclined  to  favour  his  cause,  and 
that  those  who  are  most  bigoted  to  this  new  preacher 
have  not  as  yet  reformed  their  lives  and  conversa- 
tions." Mr.  Currie,  of  Radnor,  calls  him,  "  This  stroll- 
ing preacher  with  a  musical  voice,  agreeable  delivery, 
and  a  Brazen  Forehead,"  and  says,  "  This  deceiver 
pretends  to  be  the  only  true  minister  of  the  Church  of 
England  now  in  America,  and  yet  he  has  a  criminal 
regard  for  all  those  who  have  ever  been  her  avowed 
enemies."      The    opinion    of  Mr.   Pugh   (Apoquinimy, 


84        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Delaware)  is  that  the  bad  effects  upon  the  people  of 
Mr.  Whitefield's  raillery  against  the  clergy  of  the 
Church  of  England  were  seen  in  their  refraining  "  very 
much,  not  only  from  the  Communion,  but  from  the 
coming  to  church."  Even  so  amiable  a  man  as  Mr. 
Peters,  of  Philadelphia,  would  seem  to  have  been  very 
much  in  doubt  as  to  whether  it  would  be  advisable  to 
ask  him  to  preach,  and  can  only  say  of  his  discourses 
that  they  were  "  without  the  usual  censures  of  the 
clergy,  and  with  a  greater  moderation  of  sentiment," 
and  that  he  hopes  his  stay  "will  be  attended  rather 
with  good  than  harm  to  the  churches."  Bishop  White 
does  not  seem  to  have  entertained  a  favourable  opinion 
of  the  results  of  his  mission.^  The  General  Associa- 
tion of  Connecticut,  at  a  meeting  held  in  1745,  passed 
a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  it  would  by  no  means  be 
advisable  that  he  should  be  admitted  into  their  pulpits ; 
and  Samuel  Seabury,  in  a  letter  to  the  S.P.G.  (Octo- 
ber 6,  1764),  expresses  the  fear  that  he  had  done  a 
great  deal  of  mischief.  It  was  not  from  the  Church 
clergy  only  that  he  met  opposition.  Many  of  the  most 
prominent  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  ministers 
objected  to  his  whole  course  of  procedure. 

After  making  all  due  allowance  for  prejudice,  arising 
from  any  source,  it  seems  quite  unlikely  that  such  faith- 
ful and  self-denying  men  as  have  been  quoted  above 
would  have  deliberately  done  Mr.  Whitefield  injustice.^ 

^  See  "  Memoirs,"  pp.  22  s////. 

*  Seeker,  who  at  the  time  of  his  writing  (1741)  was  Bishop  of  Oxford, 
thus  replies  to  some  of  the  charges  which  he  had  made  against  the 
Society's  missionaries  :  "You  must  permit  me  to  say,  and  I  do  it  with 
sincere  good  will  to  you,  that  I  am  persuaded  you  are  much  too  severe 
in  what  you  have  printed  concerning  your  brethren  of  the  clergy  in  this 


PURITANS,   WESLEYS,  AND  WHITEFIELD      85 

The  conclusion  is  irresistibly  forced  upon  us  that 
his  mission  to  America  was  more  of  an  injury  than 
of  a  benefit  to  the  Colonial  Church.  Nor  did  this 
evil  influence  disappear  at  his  death.  In  some  parts 
of  the  country  he  had  not  a  few  imitators,  "  vagrant 
preachers  "  (laymen  mostly),  who  succeeded  in  creat- 
ing much  excitement,  especially  in  connection  with 
the  meetings  which  were  held  at  night.  The  most 
astonishing  effects  are  said  to  have  been  produced, 
such  as  screechings,  faintings,  convulsions,  visions, 
apparent  death  for  twenty  or  thirty  hours,  actual  pos- 
sessions with  evil  spirits,  during  which  possession 
much  property  was  destroyed. 

The  Rev.  James  McSparran,  D.D.,  was  a  promi- 
nent divine  at  this  period,  labouring  (1721-57)  as  a 
missionary  of  the  S.P.G.,  in  Bristol,  R.I.,  and  its 
neighbourhood.  He  soon  became  quite  famous  for 
his  controversial  writings,  chief  among  which  was  a 
discourse  on  "  The  Sacred  Dignity  of  the  Priesthood." 
In  an  elaborate  work,  entitled  "America  Dissected," 
he  sought  to  dissuade  poor  people  from  emigrating 
to  America,  because  of  bad  climate,  bad  money,  danger 
from  enemies,  pestilent  heresies,  &c.^ 

nation,  and  therefore  you  may  have  been  too  severe  in  what  you  have 
written  concerning  those  abroad,  especially  as  I  find  that  many  accounts 
different  from  yours  are  sent  to  the  Society,  concerning  their  mission- 
aries, by  persons  in  all  appearance  deserving  of  credit." 
^  See  p.  91. 


CHAPTER  V 

VAIN  EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  THE  EPISCOPATE 

The  need  for  the  Episcopate — Attempts  to  obtain  it,  both  in  England 
and  in  America— Archbishop  Laud — Queen  Anne — Sees  deter- 
mined upon — Archbishop  Tenison — The  Rev.  John  Checkley — • 
Tiie  Rev.  Joseph  Colbatch — Archbishop  Seeker — Prejudice  in 
America  against  bishops — Baptists  want  them — Bishop  Inglis — 
"The  Case  of  the  Episcopal  Churches  Considered" — Bishops 
Talbot  and  Welton. 

There  is  nothing  perhaps  that  shows  more  clearly 
the  oversight  of  the  Divine  Head  of  the  Church  than 
the  way  in  which  she  was  preserved  in  America 
throughout  the  long  and  critical  period  of  her  entire 
lack  of  the  Episcopate.  Indeed,  it  deserves  to  rank 
amongst  the  most  remarkable  interpositions  of  Provi- 
dence in  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  any  age.  Never 
were  members  of  any  body  more  true  to  its  organic 
principles.  And  this  steadfastness  was  proved  under 
very  trying  circumstances.  For  two  hundred  years, 
an  infant  Church  was  struggling  for  growth — at  times 
even  for  existence — without  being  able  to  have  re- 
course directly  to  some  of  the  most  essential  sources 
of  nourishment. 

With  diverse  elements  of  English-speaking  people  to 
harmonise  and  direct,  and  with  multitudes  of  heathen 
people    to   Christianise,    the    position   of   the    Church 

86 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  87 

would  appear  to  have  called  for  her  fullest  equip- 
ment. Yet  for  nearly  two  centuries  she  was  con- 
tinuously without  the  means  above  all  others  which 
she  required  for  her  enlargement,  completeness,  and 
perpetuity. 

It  was  not  because  her  clergy  and  laity  were  not 
conscious  of  this  great  deficiency,  nor  that  they  were 
indifferent  to  the  many  disadvantages  which  it  en- 
tailed upon  her.  There  is  abundant  proof  in  her  early 
history  of  their  deep  and  constant  concern  on  this 
account;  and  much  sympathy  was  felt  for  them  by 
members  of  the  Church  at  home.  It  needed  not  that 
any  should  argue  with  them  as  to  the  utter  inadequacy 
of  the  provision  by  which  so  distant  and  vast  a  ter- 
ritory was  put  under  the  charge  of  the  Bishop  of 
London. 

It  is  not  a  matter  of  surprise  that  Archbishop  Laud 
should  be  credited  with  a  plan  for  planting  the  Epis- 
copate here.^  He  is  said  to  have  been  willing  even 
to  accomplish  his  designs  by  force  of  arms,  if  deemed 
necessary.  The  crisis  brought  on  by  the  troubles 
arising  at  this  time  in  Scotland  —  through  which 
troubles  largely  he  himself  suffered  imprisonment 
and  martyrdom — was,  of  course,  unfavourable  for  the 
scheme,  and  for  a  while  it  lay  dead.  Such  Dissen- 
ters as  ruled  during  the  great  rebellion  would  not 
favour  its  resurrection. 

When  Charles  II.  ascended  the  throne,  the  eccle- 
siastical  needs   of  the   colonists   again   occupied  the 

1  Before  1638,  he  had  appointed  the  Rev.  William  Morrell  as  a 
commissary  to  Plymouth. 


88        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

thoughts  of  some  who  were  about  him.  Lord 
Clarendon,  the  King's  chief  adviser,  and  the  only 
courtier  perhaps  who,  in  his  life,  successfully  re- 
sisted the  demoralising  influences  then  prevailing, 
was  a  zealous  and  uncompromising  Churchman.  It 
was  he  who  prevailed  upon  the  dissolute  monarch  to 
appoint  a  bishop  for  Virginia,  who  should  also  have 
jurisdiction  over  the  other  provinces.  Dr.  Alexander 
Murray  was  the  person  chosen  for  this  office,  and  his 
patent  was  actually  made  out  some  time  during  the 
period  (1667-72)  in  which  Sir  Orlando  Bridgeman 
served  as  Lord  Keeper.  Murray's  failure  to  obtain 
consecration  was  partly  owing  to  delay  arising  from  an 
investigation  into  unsustained  allegations  against  his 
fitness,  but  chiefly  (according  to  Archbishop  Seeker) 
to  objections  to  a  provision  that  the  endowment  of 
the  Episcopate  should  come  from  the  customs.  At 
this  juncture,  there  was  a  change  in  the  ministry,  and 
those  who  succeeded  Clarendon  were  men  either  in- 
different or  inimical  to  the  Church,  and  so  once  more 
the  hopes  of  its  earnest  members  were  doomed  to 
disappointment.  The  morality  and  religion  of  James 
II.  were  not  of  the  kind  to  move  him  in  their  behalf. 

A  Dutch  Presbyterian  entered  London  as  King  of 
the  realm  and  Defender  of  the  Faith  on  the  same  day 
that  James  succeeded  in  escaping  finally  from  England. 
The  Church  could  not  expect  to  gain  much  from  such 
a  change  of  rulers.  William  III.  was  opposed  to  Epis- 
copacy at  home.  He  was  not  likely  to  further  any 
plans  for  its  establishment  abroad. 

In  the  meantime,  the  majority  of  the  Colonial  Church- 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  89 

men  were  becoming  more  and  more  impatient.  The 
dawn  of  the  eighteenth  century  seemed  to  bring  with 
it  a  brighter  prospect,  as  opening  a  new  channel 
through  which  their  longings  might  be  fulfilled.  Good 
Dr.  Bray  had  succeeded  (May  1701)  in  obtaining, 
through  the  aid  of  sympathising  bishops,  a  Royal 
Charter  for  "The  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts."  Aside  from  his  known 
sentiments,  the  very  terms  of  the  charter  would  seem 
to  point  out  the  Episcopate  as  one  of  the  chief  means 
by  which  the  objects  of  the  organisation  could  be  most 
speedily  accomplished.  Accordingly,  the  clergy  and 
laity  began  at  once  to  send  in  fresh  memorials  on  the 
subject  to  the  officers  of  the  Society.  Among  these 
were  communications  from  Keith  and  Talbot,  their 
first  missionaries.^  In  1703,  they  received  from  divers 
parts  of  the  American  continent  and  the  adjacent 
islands  an  importunate  request  that  they  would  send 
them  a  suffragan  "  to  visit  the  several  churches,  ordain 
some,  confirm  others,  and  bless  all."  In  1705,  a  con- 
vocation, numbering  fourteen  clergymen,  met  at  Bur- 
lington, New  Jersey,  and  memorialised  the  Crown  to 
the  same  effect.  Many  of  the  leading  laymen  after- 
wards joined  in  the  request.  One  of  their  arguments 
was  based  upon  their  belief  that,  so  soon  as  bishops 


*  The  latter  wrote,  in  1702,  "I  don't  doubt  that  some  good  man 
with  one  hundred  pounds  a  year  would  do  the  Church  more  service 
than  with  a  coach-and-six  a  hundred  years  hence."  In  a  communica- 
tion to  the  Secretary  of  the  S.F.G.  he  said,  "When  Paul  did  only 
dream  that  a  man  wanted  him  in  Macedonia,  he  went  all  so  fast  ;  hut 
here  we  have  been  calling  these  so  many  years,  and  you  will  not  hear, 
or  will  not  answer,  which  is  the  same  thing.'' 


90        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

were  secured,  many  Dissenting  ministers  would  con- 
form to  the  Church. 

Queen  Anne  had  been  crowned,  on  the  death  of 
WilHam,  in  just  a  twelvemonth  after  the  incorporation 
of  the  Society.  In  dismissing  the  late  King's  Parlia- 
ment, she  uttered  sentiments  which  her  after  reign 
proved  to  be  more  genuine  than  similar  ones  which 
had  been  proclaimed  by  some  of  her  predecessors. 
"My  own  principles,"  she  said,  "must  always  keep 
me  entirely  firm  to  the  Church  of  England,  and  will 
incline  me  to  countenance  those  who  have  the  truest 
zeal  to  support  it."  Many  are  the  records  of  her 
interest  in  and  bounty  towards  the  Church.  They 
were  not  confined  to  England.  In  the  United  States 
to-day,  there  are  in  use  several  sets  of  communion 
plate  and  bells  which  (with  Bibles,  Prayer-Books,  and 
Homilies)  were  sent  over  as  presents  by  her.  In  S. 
Anne's  Church,  Middletown,  Delaware,  there  is  pre- 
served a  piece  of  an  old  altar-cloth  which  contains, 
in  handsome  embroidery,  the  initials  "A.R.,"said  to 
have  been  worked  for  that  parish  by  the  Queen 
herself.  There  are  also  some  glebes  which  were 
obtained  through  her  generosity. 

Such  a  sovereign  would  be  ready  to  hear  with 
favour  the  appeals  for  the  Episcopate  which  were 
coming  under  notice  so  frequently.  In  the  year  1712, 
the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  referred 
to  a  committee  the  question  of  procuring  bishops  for 
America,  their  proper  places  of  residence,  and  the 
methods  of  securing  the  necessary  funds  for  their 
support.     The  committee  held  frequent  sessions,  and 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  91 

more  than  once  pressed  the  matter  upon  the  attention 
of  the  Crown.  Their  efforts  in  this  direction  were 
heartily  seconded  by  Archbishop  Seeker.  The  Queen, 
who,  in  the  previous  year,  had  authorised  a  house-to- 
house  collection  for  the  Society,  entered  with  real 
sympathy  into  its  plans.  It  was  resolved  to  found 
immediately  four  bishoprics — two  for  the  continent  of 
America,  and  two  for  the  islands.  A  subscription  list 
was  opened,  and  liberal  gifts  were  made  and  devised. 
The  Queen  encouraged  a  request  which  had  been 
preferred  for  some  confiscated  lands  in  St.  Kitt's, 
and  during  the  same  year  Burlington  House,  in  New 
Jersey,  was  actually  purchased  and  prepared  for  an 
Episcopal  residence.^  Preparations  were  made  to  en- 
dow the  bishoprics  from  lands  ceded  to  the  English 
by  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht.  The  Rev,  Dr.  McSparran  ^ 
bequeathed,  in  1753,  a  farm  and  a  house  as  a  residence 
for  a  bishop,  with  a  proviso  that  at  least  three  bishops 

^  As  an  illustration  of  the  hearty  manner  in  which  the  laymen  of 
that  day  were  ready  to  co-operate  with  such  jiians,  the  following  extract 
may  be  given  from  a  letter,  addressed  (March  25,  1714)  to  the  S.P.G., 
by  the  churchwardens  and  others  of  S.  Mary's  Parish,  Burlington  : 
"  We  humbly  pray  that  your  endeavours  may  be  used  to  hasten  the 
sending  a  Bishop  amongst  us,  the  want  of  which  on  the  continent  and 
islands  of  America  is  such  an  instance  as  the  Christian  world,  from  the 
Apostles'  days  to  this  time,  hath  never  produced  the  like ;  when  so 
many  thousand  souls  as  the  Northern  Colonies  alone  have  inhaljiting 
them,  and  the  greatest  part  of  them  professing  themselves  members  of 
an  Episcopal  Church,  have  no  Bishop  residing  amongst  them  to  rule 
and  govern  them,  it  is  no  wonder  if  the  members  grow  careless,  remiss, 
and  slack  in  their  duty ;  if  many  fall  into  scandalous  and  damning 
errors  ;  if  Atheism,  Deism,  Quakerism,  Freethinking,  and  other  heresies 
increase  amongst  us ;  if  scandals  are  both  given  and  taken,  when  the 
ecclesiastical  sword  is  wanting  to  punish  evil-doers,  to  reduce  the 
erroneous  and  cast  off  the  heretics." 

2  See  p.  85. 


92        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

in  direct  succession  should  be  born  and  educated  in 
England. 

Then  came  a  fresh  and  grievous  disappointment, 
by  reason  of  the  death  of  the  royal  benefactress.  On 
the  accession  of  George  I.,  in  1715,  the  Propagation 
Society  reiterated  its  request  for  bishops,  and  sub- 
mitted anew  the  proposition  to  establish  four  Sees, 
two  of  which  were  to  be  in  the  Colonies — one  at 
Burlington,  New  Jersey,  and  one  at  Williamsburg, 
Virginia.  Provision  was  made  to  carry  this  design 
into  effect,  when  political  troubles  again  arose,  and 
once  more  the  hopes  of  American  Churchmen  were 
baffled. 

It  was  at  this  same  time  that  a  'bequest  of  £iooo 
became  operative,  which  Archbishop  Tenison  had  made 
to  the  Society  towards  the  settlement  of  two  bishops, 
one  for  the  continent  and  the  other  for  the  isles  of 
America.  Later  on,  an  unknown  benefactor  gave  the 
Society  ;^iooo  for  the  same  object,  and  others  con- 
tinued to  send  in  smaller  sums. 

While  negotiations  were  thus  going  on  abroad  for 
the  establishment  of  the  Episcopate,  the  Churchmen 
of  the  Colonies  were  still  urging  its  claims  at  home. 
A  very  quaint  and  cogent  letter  on  this  subject  was 
addressed  to  the  Society,  under  date  of  September  18, 
1707,  by  the  Rev.  Evan  Evans,^  who  was  for  more 
than  seven  years  one  of  its  missionaries,  in  Phila- 
delphia and  elsewhere.  Among  the  foremost  of  these 
advocates  was  John  Checkley,  of  Boston.  He  en- 
countered a  good  deal  of  infidelity,  and,  to  counteract 
^  See  p.  42. 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  93 

its  baneful  influence,  he  republished,  first  in  17 19  and 
then  in  1723,  Leslie's  famous  "Short  and  Easie 
Methods  with  the  Deists."  With  it,  he  also  printed 
a  brave  and  trenchant  "  Discourse  concerning  Epis- 
copacy," in  which,  with  marked  ability,  he  contended 
for  its  primitive  and  Apostolic  institution,  and  urged 
that  a  non-Episcopal  ministry  was  "  not  only  invalid, 
but  sacrilege  and  rebellion  against  Christ."  Much 
angry  discussion  followed  among  the  Puritans,  who 
pronounced  this  assertion  of  the  dogma  of  Apostolical 
Succession  to  be  a  "  false  and  scandalous  libel."  Its 
author  was  at  once  proceeded  against,  although  the 
Attorney-General  was  subsequently  directed  to  try  him 
only  on  those  passages  which  were  said  to  reflect 
upon  the  Government.  At  first,  he  was  peremptorily 
denied  a  hearing  and  adjudged  guilty.  On  his  appeal 
to  the  Court  of  Assizes,  he  made  an  elaborate  defence, 
in  which  he  successfully  refuted  the  charge  of  sedition, 
and  renewed  his  arguments  to  prove  the  invalidity  of 
non-Episcopal  ordination.  He  was  finally  (in  1724) 
condemned  by  the  judges,  fined  ^50,  imprisoned,  and 
ordered  to  keep  silence.^ 

Pamphlets  came  fast  and  thick  on  both  sides,  and 
considerable  ill-feeling  was  engendered  in  the  contro- 
versy.    Some  of  the  Puritans,  in  its  heat,  threatened 

^  It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  this  brave  defender  of  the  faith  was 
able,  after  several  years'  waiting — during  which  time  much  ungenerous 
opposition  to  him  was  continued  at  home^to  receive  ordination,  in 
the  year  1739,  from  the  hands  of  the  Bishop  of  Exeter.  He  was  also 
made  an  honorary  Master  of  Arts  by  the  University  of  Oxford,  and, 
returning  to  America,  was  put  in  charge  of  the  mission-work  at  Provi- 
dence, Rhode  Island,  where  he  died,  after  a  most  faithful  ministry  of 
fourteen  years. 


94        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

that,  in  case  of  bishops  arriving  in  the  country,  they 
would  themselves  help  to  throw  them  into  the  river. 
We  shall  see  later  on  that  the  opposition  of  Dissenters 
became  still  more  bitter  and  determined. 

In  a  quieter  part  of  the  country,  and  one  better 
disposed  towards  the  Church,  there  was  good  ground 
about  this  same  time  for  hope  that  at  length  a  bishop 
would  be  obtained.  The  Bishop  of  London  had  (in 
1727)  requested  the  clergy  of  Maryland  to  nominate 
one  of  their  number  whom  he  might  make  his  suf- 
fragan. They  named  the  Rev.  Joseph  Colbatch,  a 
man  who  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  whole  colony. 
The  Bishop  accordingly  invited  him  to  come  to  London 
for  consecration ;  but  no  sooner  was  his  purpose  to 
leave  for  this  object  made  public  than  the  courts  were 
asked  to  issue  a  writ  of  Non  exeat.  This  was  granted  ; 
Mr.  Colbatch  was  forced  to  remain  at  home,  and  once 
more  the  efforts  of  Churchmen  to  obtain  an  Episcopate 
were  frustrated. 

In  1725,  Samuel  Johnson,  Dr.  Cutler,  and  others 
of  the  New  England  clergymen  (some  of  whom  were 
among  the  chief  converts  to  the  Church),  petitioned 
the  Propagation  Society  for  bishops,  citing,  among 
other  arguments,  the  large  number  of  young  men  who 
were  yearly  lost  to  the  Church  and  her  ministry  for 
want  of  proper  persons  to  ordain  them.  In  1741, 
Seeker,  then  Bishop  of  Oxford,  preached  before  the 
same  Society,  and  urged  the  duty  of  instantly  supply- 
ing this  need.  Sherlock,  Bishop  of  London,  joined 
in  a  similar  appeal.  In  1750,  he  presented  to  the 
Kfng  in  council  a  memorial  entitled  "Considerations 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  95 

relating  to  Ecclesiastical  Government  in  his  Majesty's 
Dominions  in  America,"  in  which,  with  force  and 
moderation  combined,  he  pleaded  for  some  measure 
of  relief  from  the  manifest  evils  and  perils  that  sur- 
rounded this  lack  of  bishops.  It  was  apparently  of 
no  avail.  The  Duke  of  Newcastle,  either  from  political 
motives,  which  caused  him  to  side  with  the  Dissenters, 
or  from  indolence  and  inefficiency,  seems  at  this  time 
to  have  been  largely  responsible  for  the  inaction  of 
the  King. 

The  Bishop  of  London,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Philip 
Doddridge,  D.D.,  the  celebrated  and  amiable  Noncon- 
formist divine,  alludes  to  the  effort  which  he  had  made 
to  have  two  or  three  bishops  appointed,  and  calls  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that,  while  New  England  Dissenters 
were  doing  what  they  could  to  prevent  such  a  scheme 
being  effected,  they  were  not  at  all  averse  to  sending 
their  own  ministers  to  Virginia,  where  the  public  sen- 
timent was  so  much  against  them.  Dr.  Doddridge, 
in  a  very  courteous  reply,  candidly  acknowledges  the 
hardship  to  American  Churchmen  of  doing  without 
the  Episcopate. 

This  same  prelate  felt  so  keenly  the  anomaly  and 
the  injustice  done  to  the  Church,  that  he  declined  to 
take  a  patent  from  the  Crown  as  the  bishop  in  charge 
of  the  Colonies,  and  merely  agreed  to  act  from  time  to 
time  in  what  was  necessary,  until  some  better  pro- 
vision could  be  made.  In  1752,  he  wrote  as  follows: 
"  I  think  myself  at  present  in  a  very  bad  situation. 
Bishop  of  a  vast  country,  without  power  or  influence, 
or  any  means  of  promoting  true  religion,  sequestered 


96        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

from  the  people  over  whom  I  have  the  care  and  must 
never  hope  to  see,  I  should  be  tempted  to  throw  off 
all  this  care  quite,  were  it  not  for  the  sake  of  preserv- 
ing even  the  appearance  of  an  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
Plantations." 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  efforts  of 
Samuel  Johnson  and  others  to  obtain  the  Episcopate. 
He  felt  the  necessity  of  it  all  the  more  bitterly  when, 
in  1756,  his  own  son,  who  had  gone  to  England  for 
orders,  fell  a  victim  there  to  the  scourge  of  smallpox, 
which  would  seem  to  have  fatally  attacked  quite  a 
number  of  other  young  men  who  came  from  America. 
"  I  confess,"  he  wrote,  "  I  should  scarce  have  thought 
my  dear  son's  life  ill  bestowed  (nor,  I  believe,  would 
he)  if  it  could  have  been  the  means  of  awakening  this 
stupid  age  to  a  sense  of  the  necessity  of  sending 
bishops.  But,  alas !  what  can  be  expected  of  such  an 
age  as  this  ?  " 

Other  parents  had  similar  cause  for  unavailing  sor- 
row, it  being  calculated  that,  during  the  forty  years 
preceding  1766,  one  out  of  every  five  candidates  for 
Holy  Orders  who  crossed  the  ocean  died  in  the  jour- 
ney from  sickness  or  shipwreck.  From  what  was 
thus  ventured,  it  may  be  seen  how  strong  were  the 
convictions  of  some  as  to  the  necessity  of  being 
properly  and  validly  ordained.  For  want  of  such 
ministers,  the  Church  was  the  more  glad  to  avail 
herself  of  the  services  of  catechists  and  schoolmasters, 
many  of  whom  were  very  zealous  and  efficient  in  their 
ecclesiastical  work.  It  is  no  wonder,  however,  that 
many  were  deterred  from  incurring  such   risks,  and 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  97 

that  not  a  few  of  the  most  promising  young  men  on 
this  same  account  entered  the  ministry  of  other  re- 
ligious bodies.  In  the  course  of  one  year  there  went 
out  from  one  college  twenty  young  graduates,  nearly 
all  of  whom  under  favouring  circumstances  would,  it 
was  thought,  have  become  clergymen  in  the  Church. 

It  would  seem  that  at  times  the  Government  at 
home  were  influenced  in  their  failure  to  further  the 
wishes  of  American  Churchmen  in  this  respect  by  a 
desire  to  retain  the  votes  and  influence  of  the  Dis- 
senters. It  was  largely,  no  doubt,  in  view  of  their 
hostility  that  Bishop  Butler,  soon  after  going  (in  1750) 
to  Durham,  drew  up  a  scheme  for  an  American  Epis- 
copate which  was  well  calculated,  by  its  moderate  and 
considerate  (one  might  almost  add,  and  timid)  pro- 
posals, to  disarm  all  reasonable  opposition.  It  was 
comprised  within  these  four  conditions:  (i)  That  no 
coercive  power  is  desired  over  the  Laity,  but  only  the 
power  to  regulate  the  Clergy  in  Episcopal  Orders ;  (2) 
nothing  is  desired  for  such  bishops  which  would  inter- 
fere with  the  temporal  government ;  (3)  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  bishops  is  not  to  be  charged  on  the 
Colonies ;  (4)  it  is  intended  to  settle  no  bishops  where 
the  Government  is  in  the  hands  of  Dissenters,  as  in 
New  England,  &c.,  but  only  authority  is  to  be  given 
to  ordain  and  confirm,  and  to  inspect  the  Clergy  for 
members  of  Church  of  England  congregations.  It 
may  well  be  doubted  whether  such  a  mild  programme, 
coming  from  so  influential  a  quarter,  was  likely  to 
strengthen  the  hands  of  the  more  loyal  and  enthusi- 
astic Churchmen  on  either  side  of  the  Atlantic.     There 

G 


98        HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

can  be,  however,  no  question  as  to  Butler's,  hearty 
desire  for  the  estabHshment  of  the  Episcopate,  ad- 
ditional proof  of  which  he  gave  in  leaving  a  bequest 
of  ^500  to  the  fund  already  instituted  for  this  purpose. 
A  similar  legacy  was  left  in  that  same  year  (1752)  by 
Dr.  Benson,  the  Bishop  of  Gloucester. 

The  interest  of  Bishop  Seeker  in  the  matter  has 
already  been  noted.  He  had  no  sooner  been  advanced 
to  the  Primacy  in  1758  than  he  manifested  it  anew, 
and  with  so  much  vigour  that  he  brought  upon  him- 
self and  upon  the  S.P.G.,  the  ire  of  American  Dis- 
senters. Jonathan  Mayhew,  a  Congregational  minister 
of  Boston,  took  a  leading  part  in  the  .controversy.  His 
pamphlet — partly,  also,  a  rejoinder  to  one  in  favour 
of  Episcopacy  written  by  the  Rev.  East  Apthorp, 
missionary  at  Cambridge — was  published  in  1763.  It 
was  answered  anonymously  in  the  following  year  by 
Archbishop  Seeker,  who  exhibited  a  spirit  strongly 
in  contrast  with  that  of  his  libeller.  The  Archbishop 
wrote  in  1764  to  Dr.  Johnson  of  New  York:  "The 
affair  of  American  Bishops  continues  in  suspense. 
Lord  Willoughby  of  Parham,  the  only  English  dissent- 
ing Peer,  and  Dr.  Chandler,  have  declared,  after  our 
scheme  was  fully  laid  before  them,  that  they  saw  no 
objection  against  it.  The  Duke  of  Bedford,  Lord 
President,  hath  given  a  calm  and  favourable  hearing 
to  it,  hath  desired  it  may  be  reduced  to  writing,  and 
promised  to  consult  about  it  with  the  other  ministers 
at  his  first  leisure."  This  leisure  apparently  never 
came,  although  the  Archbishop  said  the  King  had  fre- 
quently expressed  himself  in  favour  of  Episcopacy. 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  99 

In  May  1766,  the  clergy  of  the  Province  of  New 
York  and  some  from  Connecticut  met  in  New  York, 
and  once  more  as  a  body  appealed  to  the  S.P.G.  for 
bishops. 

In  the  meanwhile,  as  already  intimated,  the  opposi- 
tion to  their  introduction  became  among  the  Dissenters 
more  and  more  bitter,  and  this  attitude  of  theirs  to- 
wards the  question  continued  to  have  its  influence 
against  the  project  with  the  British  Government.  As 
an  example  of  the  dread  of  bishops  which  prevailed 
among  the  common  people,  it  is  related  by  Bishop 
Griswold  that  a  neighbour  of  his,  who  was  born  in 
1745,  told  him  that  when  a  child  he  was  regularly 
taught  that  if  bishops  should  come  into  America  they 
would  take  from  the  people  a  tenth  of  everything, 
children  not  excepted.  As  he  happened  to  be  the 
tenth  child  of  his  parents,  he  ardently  expressed  the 
desire  that  in  case  a  bishop  were  unfortunately  per- 
mitted to  land,  he  himself  might  immediately  die. 

There  is  also  a  well-authenticated  account  given  by 
the  same  anthority  of  a  very  intelligent  and  pious 
3'oung  man  who,  while  reading  a  newspaper,  suddenly 
dropped  it,  and,  turning  to  a  friend  of  his  who  had 
just  come  into  his   breakfast-room,   said,   with   much 

tremor  and  emphasis,  "  Then,  M ,  I  am  a  dead  man." 

In  surprise,  his  friend  asked  him  what  he  meant. 
"  Read  that  article,"  he  replied,  picking  up  the  paper 
which  he  had  dropped.  It  contained  an  extract  from 
an  English  journal  with  what  afterwards  proved  to  be 

an  unfounded  announcement  to  this  effect :  "  On 

day   of  the   month    will  sail   from   this   port,    in   his 


ICO      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Majesty's  ship ,  the  Rev.  Dr. ,  who  is  expected 

to  go  out  as  the  first  Bishop  of  New  England." 
"Why,  my  friend,"  said  the  visitor,  "  I  see  in  this  no 
reason   for  your  exclamation."     "No  reason?"  was 

the  answer.     "Why,  I  tell  you,  M ,  if  this  news 

proves  true,  the  moment  Dr.  sets  his  foot  on 

Long  Wharf,  Boston,  as  Bishop  of  New  England,  I 
will  shoot  him.  And  the  next  moment  I  will  sur- 
render myself  into  the  hands  of  justice,  with  the 
certainty  of  being  hanged.  But  I  shall  feel  that  I 
am  doing  God  service."  ^ 

Occasionally  Dissenters  were  found  who  took  a 
much  more  charitable  view  of  the  matter.  In  Penn- 
sylvania, both  Quakers  and  Presbyterians  were,  in 
their  enmity  towards  each  other,  inclined  to  favour 
the  schemes  of  Churchmen  in  this  direction.  Mr. 
Barton,  a  missionary  of  the  S.P.G.  in  Pennsylvania, 
writes  to  its  secretary  under  date  of  November  i6, 
1774: — "Many  of  the  principal  Quakers  wish  for  it 
in  hopes  it  might  be  a  check  to  the  growth  of  Presby- 
terianism,  which  they  dread;  and  the  Presbyterians, 
on  the  other  hand,  would  not  choose  to  murmur  at  a 
time  when  they  are  obliged  to  keep  fair  with  the 
Church,  whose  assistance  they  want  against  the  com- 
bination of  the  Quakers,  who  would  willingly  crush 
them." 

The  Rev.  Hugh  Neill,  another  Pennsylvania  mis- 
sionary, writes  a  little  later:   "The  Dissenters  very 

1  When  the  news  of  Seabury's  consecration  reached  Boston,  one  of 
its  journals — the  Gazette — published  the  following: — "Two  wonders 
of  the  world,  a  Stamp  Act  in  Boston  and  a  Bishop  in  Connecticut  I " 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  loi 

well  know  that  the  sending  of  a  bishop  to  America 
would  contribute  more  to  the  increase  of  the  Church 
here  than  all  the  money  that  has  been  raised  by  the 
venerable  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel. 
Alas !  we  see  and  feel  the  power  of  our  enemies  and 
weakness  of  our  friends,  and  can  only  mourn  in  secret 
and  pray  for  better  times.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Allison, 
Vice-Provost  of  the  College  of  Philadelphia,  and  who 
is  at  the  head  of  the  Presbyterians  in  this  province, 
assured  me  the  other  day  in  a  conversation  on  this 
subject,  that  they  had  no  objection  to  what  he  called 
primitive  Episcopacy,  i.e.,  Episcopacy  without  any 
civil  power  annexed  to  it,  as  he  explained  himself, 
and  that  he  would  be  well  contented  if  there  was  a 
bishop  of  this  sort  in  every  province  in  America." 
The  Baptists  in  America  early  confessed  their  want 
of  some  head,  and  in  one  of  their  associations  in 
Virginia  (1774)  resolved  that  apostles  were  officers 
that  still  belonged  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  They 
afterwards  proceeded  to  elect  three  of  their  number 
to  this  office,  and  set  them  apart  for  it  by  the  laying 
on  of  hands.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before  this 
provision  fell  into  disuse. 

This  friendliness  towards  Episcopacy  on  the  part  of 
Dissenters  may  be  taken  as  some  sort  of  compensa- 
tion for  not  only  the  apathy — an  apathy  born  partly 
of  delays  and  disappointments — but  even  in  some 
instances  the  opposition  of  Churchmen  themselves. 
Their  attitude,  amid  the  general  anxiety  for  bishops 
among  their  fellow-Churchmen,  is  not  to  be  wholly 
ignored.     To  it  may  be  partly  ascribed — in  a  small 


102      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

degree,  perhaps,  yet  in  an  appreciable  one — the  long 
delay  in  the  matter  which  we  are  now  discussing. 
For  instance,  in  1771,  when  the  clergy  of  Virginia 
numbered  one  hundred,  only  twelve  were  present  at 
a  convention  that  petitioned  the  S.P.G.  for  bishops, 
and  out  of  this  number  there  were  four  who  protested 
against  any  such  application  being  made.  These  pro- 
testants  appear  to  have  belonged  to  the  same  class 
with  others  who  dreaded  the  coming  of  bishops,  lest 
their  own  lax  and  immoral  lives  should  be  inquired 
into  and  dealt  with  authoritatively. 

Other  some  there  were,  both  among  the  clergy 
and  laity,  who  fancied  that  their .  prerogatives  and 
influence  would  be  abridged,  and  others  still  who 
honestly  feared  that  political  complications  might  arise, 
and  that,  by  fomenting  dissatisfaction  among  the  Dis- 
senters, the  union  between  England  and  her  colonies 
might  be  endangered.  Then,  again,  not  a  few  colonists, 
who  had  already  decided  in  their  own  minds  in  favour 
of  national  independence,  looked  upon  the  introduction 
of  the  Episcopate  as  an  instrument  whereby  the  com- 
ing of  this  independence  would  be  indefinitely  dela3'ed. 
Of  recent  years  it  has  frequently  been  argued  that  had 
bishops  been  granted  in  an  earlier  period  of  their 
history,  the  revolt  of  the  Colonies  might  have  been 
postponed,  if  not  averted,  or  at  least  a  peaceable 
separation   would   have   been   effected.^      In   a   letter 

'  In  a  letter,  dated  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  December  17,  1770,  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Barton  writes  to  the  Secretary  of  the  S.P.G.  :  "  If  there 
is  &ny  public  virtue  left,  as  I  am  sure  there  is,  the  advancement  of  the 
Church  of  England  in  America  should  become  a  fiah'ofia/  concern.  This 
Church  has  ever  been  considered  as  the  ^ead  of  the  Protestant  interestf 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  103 

addressed  to  the  Secretary  of  the  S.P.G.  in  I7c|, 
Colonel  Robert  Quarry  urges  the  sending  of  a  bishop 
to  America,  and  says  :  "  Nothing  else  will  do,  for  every 
young  clergyman  thinks  he  knows  more  than  the 
Right  Revd.  the  Bishops,  and  do  assume  more  power 
to  themselves." 

Financial  considerations  also  entered  largely  intt)  the 
views  on  this  subject  which  some  Churchmen  held 
who  only  knew  the  Episcopate  by  what  they  had  seen 
or  heard  of  it  as  it  then  existed  in  England.  These 
apprehended  that  its  establishment  in  America  would 
entail  upon  them  and  others  an  expense,  and  per- 
haps pomp,  which  they  could  not  loyally  bear.  Some 
designing  politicians  further  represented  that  the  taxa- 
tion of  the  Colonies  and  the  proposed  Episcopate  were 
but  parts  of  the  one  policy  whereby  the  civil  and  reli- 
gious liberty  of  America  was  to  be  annihilated. 

Among  those  who  were  most  interested  in  the  plans 
for  securing  bishops  for  America  was  the  Rev.  Charles 
Inglis,  some  time  (1759-65)  the  Society's  missionary 
at  Dover,  Delaware,  subsequently  rector  of  Trinity 
Church,  New  York,  and  finally  (1787)  the  first  Bishop 
of  Nova  Scotia.^     In  a  letter  under  date  of  New  York, 

and  the  centre  of  Protestant  unity,  and  therefore  ought  to  be  promoted 
here  from  motives  oi policy  as  well  as  of  religion.  It  requires  not  the 
sagacity  of  a  politician,  if  he  is  but  acquainted  with  the  temper  and 
disposition  of  people  here,  to  foresee  that  the  more  the  Church  of 
England  in  the  Colonies  is  neglected,  the  less  hold  will  the  parent 
kingdom  have  of  them.  God  grant  that  those  at  the  helm  may  see 
these  things  in  their  right  light  !" 

^  His  reply  to  Paine's  "Common  Sense"  so  excited  the  ire  of  the 
"  Sons  of  Liberty"  that  they  publicly  burned  it.  He  refused  Washing- 
ton's request  that  he  should  omit  the  Prayers  for  the  King  and  Royal 
Family,  and  remained  a  Loyalist  to  the  end. 


I04      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

October  22,  1783,  addressed  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  William 
White,  of  Philadelphia,  he  declares  his  firm  belief  in 
the  statement  contained  in  the  Preface  to  the  Ordinal, 
and  that  "for  1500  years  after  our  Saviour's  time 
there  was  no  regular  ordination  or  ecclesiastical 
government  but  what  was  of  the  Episcopal  kind." 
He  also  quotes  from  a  plan  for  an  American  Episco- 
pate, which  he  had  drawn  up  several  years  before, 
and  had  submitted  to  a  number  of  persons  in  England 
and  America,  by  whom  it  had  been  approved.  In 
it  care  was  taken  that  the  duties  and  prerogatives 
of  the  bishops  should  be  wholly  ecclesiastical  and 
spiritual. 

The  first  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania  (the  Right  Rev. 
Dr.  White),  in  alluding  to  a  period  a  few  years  before 
the  War  of  the  Revolution,  when  a  fresh  appeal  ^  was 
made  to  the  public  in  favour  of  the  Episcopate  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Chandler  (see  p.  48)  of  Elizabeth  Town, 
New  Jersey,  gives  it  as  his  own  opinion,  based  upon 
what  as  a  youth  he  then  heard  and  observed,  that  it 
would  have  been  impossible  to  obtain  the  concurrence 
of  a  respectable  number  of  laymen  in  any  measure  for 
the  obtaining  of  an  American  bishop.^  As  one  proof 
of  their  opposition  to  such  a  measure,  it  may  be 
mentioned  that  when  the  four  clergymen  in  Virginia 
made  the  protest  already  noted  (page  102),  the  House 

^  One  answer  to  this  appeal  was  an  offer  from  Sir  William  Johnson 
of  20,000  acres  of  excellent  land  towards  the  support  of  an  American 
Episcopate.  Dr.  Chauncey,  a  celebrated  -Congregationalist  divine, 
answered  the  argument  of  Dr.  Chandler,  Who  in  turn  replied  with 
great  force. 

*  Memoirs,  p.  69.  - 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  105 

of  Burgesses  formally  thanked  them  for  their  conduct 
in  this  respect.  Fifteen  years  later,  one  of  these 
burgesses,  Richard  Henry  Lee,^  furnished,  as  Pre- 
sident of  Congress,  a  letter  to  Drs.  Provoost  and 
White  when  they  went  to  London  for  consecration 
as  bishops,  in  which  he  certified  that  their  errand  was 
quite  consistent  with  the  civil  relations  of  the  new 
Republic.  :    -.  :'. 

Dr.  White  himself,  when  rector  of  Christ  Church, 
Philadelphia,  was  at  one  time  so  alarmed  at  the  gra- 
dual diminution  in  numbers  of  the  ministry,  and  so 
disheartened  at  the  prospect  of  obtaining  bishops,  that 
he  advocated  the  employment  of  other  means  for  sup- 
plying the  demand  for  clergymen.  His  views  were 
fully  set  forth  in  a  pamphlet,  published  in  August 
1782,  entitled,  "The  Case  of  the  Episcopal  Churches 
Considered."  Among  other  proposals  that  it  contained 
— many  of  which  were  afterwards  embodied  in  the 
Constitution  and  Canons  of  the  Church — was  one  pro- 
viding for  permanent  superintending  ministers,  with 
powers  similar  to  those  of  bishops.  He  stipulated  that 
before  such  ministers  were  chosen  there  should  be  in 
the  proposed  frame  of  Church  government  "  a  general 
approbation  of  Episcopacy,  and  a  declaration  of  an 
intention  to  procure  the  succession  as  soon  as  con- 
veniently may  be ; "  and  when  "  the  Episcopal  suc- 
cession" was  "afterwards  obtained,  any  supposed 
imperfections  of  the  intermediate  ordinations  might,  if 

^  One  of  the  most  famous  orators  of  his  day.  While  Patrick 
Henry  was  styled  the  Demosthenes,  Lee  was  considered  the  Cicero  of 
America. 


lo6      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

it  were  judged  proper,  be  supplied  without  acknow- 
ledging their  nullity  by  a  conditional  ordination." 

His  sentiments  on  Episcopacy  were,  it  may  be,  open 
to  the  criticisms  of  those  who  looked  with  alarm 
upon  the  encouragement  which  anti-Episcopalians  had 
gathered  from  them.  But,  while  justifying  his  pro- 
posals as  expedients  to  meet  the  exigency  which 
existed,  he  none  the  less  emphatically  declared  in 
regard  to  Episcopacy  that  "  it  should  be  sustained,  as 
the  government  of  the  Church  from  the  time  of  the 
Apostles."  When  peace  was  concluded,  and  the  in- 
dependence of  the  United  States  acknowledged,  the 
temporary  plan  which  he  had  suggested  was  imme- 
diately relinquished  by  the  author  himself. 

To  this  narrative  of  the  attempts  to  obtain  the 
Episcopate  in  a  legitimate  way,  may  be  added  some 
reference  to  the  alleged  consecration  of  Talbot  and 
Welton,  and  their  discharge  in  America  of  Episcopal 
duties.  The  former  had  been,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  very  earnest  in  appealing  to  the  Mother  Church 
for  bishops.^  Yet,  with  all  his  anxiety  on  this  score, 
it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  such  a  Churchman  as  he 
unquestionably  was,  would  seek  surreptitiously  to 
supply  the  wants  which  he  recognised. 

There  seems,  however,  but  little  room  for  doubting 
that  he  was  consecrated  bishop  during  one  of  his  visits 
to  England,  and  there  is  no  more  room  for  doubting 
that  he  was  in  this  matter  prompted  by  a  sincere 
desire  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Colonies,  hoping 
that  a  favourable  opportunity  would  arise,  when  he 
»  See  p.  8g. 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  107 

might  publicly  exercise  his  episcopal  office.  On  March 
22,  1720-1,  Bishops  Spinckes,  Hawes,  and  Gandy, 
three  nonjuring  bishops,  consecrated  Ralph  Taylor, 
who  in  turn  alone  consecrated  (in  1722)  Robert 
Welton,  rector  of  Whitechapel,  London.  These  two 
in  the  same  year  are  said  to  have  consecrated  John 
Talbot.^  None  of  these  last  three  were  recognised 
as  bishops  de  jure^  even  by  the  nonjurors. 

Welton  came  to  America,  and  was  rector  of  Christ 
Church,  Philadelphia,  from  July  1724  until  January 
1726.  He  became  very  popular,  but  when  it  was 
rumoured  that  he  was  a  nonjuring  bishop,  he  was 
ordered  by  the  King  to  return  forthwith  to  England. 
He  set  sail  for  Lisbon,  where  he  died  of  a  dropsy, 
refusing  to  commune  with  the  English  clergyman, — 
most  probably  for  political  reasons.  In  a  letter,  dated 
in  that  city,  August  31,  1726,  N.S.,  it  is  reported  that 
there  was  found  among  his  effects  an  episcopal  ring 
which  he  had  used  in  Pennsylvania,  where,  it  is 
further  declared,  he  had  privily  exercised  the  office 
of  bishop. 

Talbot  returned  to  Burlington,  and  resumed  the 
active  discharge  of  his  duties,  for  which  he  was 
already  famous  throughout  the  Colonies,  reading,  as 
he  himself  reports,  "  the  prayers  of  the  Church,  in 
the  church  decently,  according  to  the  Order  of 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  daily  throughout  the 
year,  and  that  is  more  than  is  done  in  any  church  that 

^  See  Percival's  "Apology  for  the  Apostolical  Succession,"  pp.  222-6 ; 
Hills's  "  History  of  St.  Mary's  Church.  Burlington,  NJ.,"  p.  168  ;  and 
Hugh  Davey  Evans's  "  Essay  on  the  Episcopate,"  p.  323. 


io8      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

I  know,  a/>ud  Aniericanosy'^  He  is  said  to  have 
occasionally  assumed  the  episcopal  dress,  and  to  have 
administered  confirmation  privately.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Hawks,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Church  in  Maryland  " 
(p.  185),  relates,  on  the  authority  of  Bishop  White, 
a  story  which  was  generally  believed  in  his  day,  to 
the  effect  that  Talbot  and  Welton  united  in  ordaining 
a  Congregational  minister  who  had  conformed  to  the 
Church.  Certain  it  is  that  in  making  her  will,  Mrs. 
Talbot  used  a  seal  upon  which  were  engraved  a  mitre 
and  a  plain  cross,  and  having,  in  large  letters  inter- 
twining one  another,  the  full  name  of  the  rector, 
J.  Talbot.2 

The  Rev.  Jacob  Henderson,  in  a  letter  to  the 
Bishop  of  London,  dated  August  16,  1724,  writes: 
"  Mr.  Talbot,  minister  of  Burlington,  returned  from 
England  about  two  years  ago  in  Episcopal  orders, 
though  his  orders  till  now  of  late  have  been  kept 
as  a  great  secret,  and  Dr.  Welton  is  arrived  there 
about  six  weeks  ago,  as  I'm  credibly  informed,  in  the 
same  capacity,  and  the  people  of  Philadelphia  are 
so  fond  of  him  that  they  will  have  him,  right  or 
wrong,  for  their  minister.  I  am  much  afraid  these 
gentlemen  will  poison  the  people  of  that  province. 
I  cannot  see  what  can  prevent  it  but  the  speedy 
arrival  of  a  bishop  there,  one  of  the  same  order, 
to  confront  them,  for  the  people  will  rather  take 
confirmation    from    them     than    have    none    at    all, 

^  It  is  very  pleasant  to  note  that  this  pious  custom  is  still  maintained 
in  this  venerable  parish. 

^  Ilills's  "  History  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  Burlington,"  p.  2.|8. 


*     EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  109 

and    by    that    means    they'll    hook    them    into    the 
schism."^ 

He  was  accused  to  the  Society  of  being  a  Jacobite, 
and,  apparently  from  his  own  letter  to  the  Bishop  of 
London,  "of  exercising  Acts  of  Jurisdiction  "  over  his 
brethren,  the  missionaries,  &c.  This  accusation  he 
denies,  and  asserts  that  he  can  disprove  it  by  a 
thousand  witnesses.  He,  however,  was  ordered, 
through  the  Governor,  to  "surcease  officiating,"  and 
obeyed.  A  memorial  in  his  favour,  signed  by  many 
influential  laymen  belonging  to  various  parishes, 
declared  that  he  was,  "  by  his  exemplary  life  and 
ministry,  the  greatest  advocate  for  the  Church  of 
England,  by  law  established,  that  ever  appeared  on 
this  shore."  He  died  on  S.  Andrew's  Day,  1727,  and 
was  buried  in  the  churchyard  at  Burlington,  where 
his  memory  is  still  affectionately  cherished. 

As  illustrative  of  the  general  condition  at  this  period 
of  affairs,  ecclesiastical  and  personal,  some  extracts  are 
given  from  a  letter  of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Murray  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  S.P.G.,  dated  Reading,  Pennsylvania, 
January  25,  1764. 

"The  number  of  Papists  in  this  county  I  have  not 
got  a  more  particular  account  of  yet  than  what  I  sent 
you  in  my  last,  nor  that  of  Dissenters,  of  which  we 
have  some  of  every  name.  But  the  state  of  their 
several  congregations  is  rather  too  evident  from  their 
scandalous  differences  and  animosities,  each  within 
itself  as  well  as  with  one  another.  The  people  are 
ever  and  anon  quarrelling  with  their  preachers,  whom, 
1  Hills's  "  History  of  St.  Mary's  Church,  Burlington,"  p.  iS8. 


no      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

of  humour  and  caprice,  they  change  much  oftener 
than  they  renew  their  clothes,  so  that  it  is  a  great 
deal  if  they  are  not  all  by  the  ears  in  a  twelvemonth. 
They  are  supported  by  annual  contributions,  which 
are  made  good  the  first  year ;  then  they  are  wearied, 
and  both  parties  find  it  convenient  to  part,  the  minister 
to  find  a  fresh  subsistence,  and  the  people  to  get  a 
new  one  in  his  place,  no  matter  whether  better  or 
worse,  so  be  their  itch  after  novelty  is  gratified.  In 
this  perpetual  round  of  changes  and  contentions,  they 
sometimes  move  with  a  seeming  gravity,  as  they  do  at 
others,  with  all  the  party  rage  and  violence  of  men 
out  of  their  senses,  ending  in  provoking  libels  and 
lampoons  and  in  batteries  and  bloodshed,  'twixt  pastor 
and  people,  as  here  of  late;  which  forms  the  most 
hideous  and  pitiable  contrast  imaginable,  and  has  too 
manifest  a  tendency  to  expose  the  ministerial  character 
to  such  obloquy  and  contempt,  without  distinction,  as 
I  could  hardly  have  thought  it  could  be  loaded  with 
in  any  Christian  country  as  I  observe  it  generally  is 
here.  In  the  short  time  I  have  been  here,  the  Baptists, 
Lutherans,  and  Calvinists  (the  most  numerous  sects 
in  this  town  and  country  adjacent)  have  changed  their 
ministers,  and  are  still  unprovided  as  they  have  been 
for  some  months  past.  In  the  midst  of  these  convul- 
sions and  wildfire,  I  leave  you  to  judge  what  state  of 
mind  I  must  necessarily  be  in ;  not  knowing  often 
what  course  to  steer  that,  if  possible,  I  may  give  no 
offence :  and  hitherto  I  have  been  abundantly  happy 
to  preserve  the  favour  of  my  ov/n  people,  and  have  no 
share  in  the  quarrels  of  others.     A  minister  here  must 


EFFORTS  TO  OBTAIN  EPISCOPATE  in 

double  his  guard,  and  deny  himself  many  of  the  inno- 
cent comforts  and  liberties  of  life,  and  undergo  as 
many  of  its  inconveniences,  toils,  and  troubles,  if  ever 
he  would  succeed  in  his  work,  particularly  in  the 
frontier  Missions,  as  of  Berks,  Lancaster,  York,  and 
Cumberland,  an  extent  of  above  1 50  miles,  and  where 
there  are  but  three  missionaries  only,  Messrs.  Barton 
and  Thomson  and  myself,  who  are  obliged  to  itinerate 
to  our  different  congregations,  which  are  distant  30, 
20,  18,  15  miles  from  our  respective  places  of  resi- 
dence, and  that  in  the  severest  seasons  of  extreme 
heat  and  cold,  and  to  be  from  home  for  weeks  together, 
and  at  the  year's  end  scarce  receive  so  much  as  would 
satisfy  an  ordinary  mechanic.  So  that  I  am  often 
surprised  how  such  of  my  brethren  subsist  who  have 
large  families,  as  Mr.  Barton,  whose  singular  merit, 
I  humbly  think,  deserves  the  notice  of  the  venerable 
Society.  I  am  still  a  single  man,  and  it  will  be 
prudent  for  me  to  continue  such  in  my  present  cir- 
cumstances. In  time  of  war  our  situation  is  deplor- 
able enough.  Mr.  Thomson,  who  had  retired  to  a 
plantation  to  retrench  the  expenses  of  living,  was 
drove  off  by  the  Indians,  and  obliged  to  abandon  his 
all  and  take  shelter  with  his  family  in  another  man's 
house  in  Carlisle. 

"  Many  of  the  Dissenting  clergy,  without  any  assist- 
ance from  the  mother  country,  are  upon  a  better 
footing  than  those  of  the  National  Church,  for  while 
the  latter,  in  obedience  to  the  canons,  choose  rather 
to  suffer  many  hardships  than  engage  in  secular 
employments,   the   former,   besides   the  stipends  they 


112      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

receive  from  their  numerous  congregations,  are  indis- 
criminately concerned  in  every  branch  of  trade,  and 
hold  civil  and  military  offices,  and  such  of  them  as 
are  not  employed  in  this  way  are  reduced  to  that 
state  of  dependence  and  contempt  I  have  mentioned 
before  of  the  three  sects  I  took  notice  of  in  the  former 
part  of  my  letter." 


CHAPTER  VI 
BISHOP  SEABURY'S  CONSECRATION 

His  earlier  life — His  connection  with  public  affairs — Elected  Bishop — 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Learning — Seabury  goes  to  London — Ineffectual 
attempts  to  obtain  consecration  there — Reasons  for  this — He  goes 
to  Scotland — Consecrated  at  Aberdeen — The  "Concordate" — 
Returns  to  America — His  Episcopal  lineage. 

We  have  already  seen  how  long  and  how  earnestly 
efforts  were  made  to  obtain  a  supply  of  bishops  for 
America.  We  have  also  seen  how  many  obstacles  and 
discouragements  were  encountered  by  those  who  en- 
gaged in  these  efforts.  Notice  has  been  taken  of  the 
reputed  consecration  of  Talbot  and  Welton,  which,  if 
it  did  occur,  was  clandestinely  performed.  We  have 
now  to  deal  with  the  first  recognised  Bishop,  whose 
honoured  name  stands  at  the  head  of  a  list  which,  in  a 
little  more  than  a  century,  has  grown  so  rapidly  that 
now  (December  1S94)  it  numbers  174. 

The  story  of  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Seabury 
has  about  it,  for  ecclesiastical  students,  the  excitement 
of  a  romance.  Very  few  single  events  in  Church  his- 
tory are  associated  with  so  many  incidents  of  real 
and  abiding  interest.  Whether  we  consider  the  ano- 
malous   and    perilous   condition    at    that    time    of  the 

Church  in  America,  his  long  and  trying  waiting  upon 

"3  H 


114      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

the  authorities  of  the  Church  in  England,  his  final 
recourse  to  the  Scotch  bishops,  or  his  own  personality 
and  career,  there  is  in  the  abundance  and  variety  of 
matter  the  groundwork  of  a  tale  which,  in  the  hands  of 
a  master,  would  easily  rank  with  the  most  renowned 
work  of  fiction.  We  shall  attempt  only  a  simple 
account  of  what  appear  to  be  the  most  important 
facts  in  connection  with  the  consummation  of  earnest 
hopes  that  had  been  uninterruptedly  entertained  in  the 
breasts  of  all  loyal  American  Churchmen  for  nearly 
two  hundred  years. 

Samuel  Seabury,  the  father  of  the  chief  participant 
in  these  scenes,  was  a  Congregational  minister,  settled 
at  Groton,  Connecticut,  where  the  Church  had  not  as 
yet  been  established.  His  wife  was  a  Churchwoman, 
and  their  marriage  occurred  at  a  time  when  the  claims 
of  Episcopacy  were  generally  and  warmly  discussed 
by  the  leading  men  of  the  day.  Early  in  the  year 
1730  he  conformed  to  the  Church,  and  in  the  ensuing 
summer  was  ordained  deacon  and  priest  by  the  Bishop 
of  London.  So  that  the  first  training  young  Seabury 
had  (he  was  born  in  Groton  on  S.  Andrew's  Day, 
1729),  was  within  the  fold  of  the  Church  which  he 
afterwards  so  faithfully  served.  He  early  dedicated 
himself  to  the  ministry,  and  served  nearly  four  years 
as  a  catechist.  Thinking  that  a  course  of  study  in 
medicine  would  be  useful  to  him  in  his  ministerial 
work,  he  devoted  to  it  the  period  necessarily  inter- 
vening before  he  would  be  old  enough  to  be  admitted 
a  candidate  for  holy  orders.  He  attended  the  Uni- 
versity of  Edinburgh,  and  an  interesting  account  is 


BISHOP  SEABURY'S  CONSECRATION  115 

preserved  of  his  first  acquaintance  in  that  city  with 
the  Church  from  which  he  was  afterwards  to  receive 
his  Episcopal  orders. 

Having  reached  the  prescribed  age  of  twenty-four 
years,  he  was  ordained  deacon  by  the  Bishop  of 
Lincoln,  acting  for  the  Bishop  of  London,  on  S. 
Thomas's  Day,  1753,  and  two  days  later  he  was 
ordained  priest  by  the  Bishop  of  Carlisle.  He  re- 
turned to  America  in  the  latter  part  of  May  1754, 
and  commenced  his  ministry  at  New  Brunswick,  New 
Jersey.  In  1757  he  removed  to  Jamaica,  Long  Island, 
and  again  in  1766  to  West  Chester,  New  York,  of 
which  latter  parish  he  remained  rector  until  the  autumn 
of  177s,  when,  because  of  political  troubles,  he  was 
obliged  to  intermit  his  services.  During  a  part  of  the 
War  of  the  Revolution  he  resided  with  his  family  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  returning  as  he  had  opportunity 
to  West  Chester,  and  officiating  there  and  elsewhere 
as  he  could.  For  a  while  he  was  compelled,  by  the 
necessities  of  his  family,  to  resume  the  practice  of 
medicine.  In  June  1777,  Sir  William  Howe  appointed 
him  chaplain  of  the  Provincial  Hospital  at  New  York, 
and  in  the  following  January  chaplain  to  the  King's 
American  Regiment.  It  was  while  still  holding  these 
offices  that  he  was.  elected  Bishop  of  Connecticut. 

Seabury's  connection  with  public  affairs  was  so 
prominent  and  influential,  that  it  ought  not  to  be 
wholly  left  out  of  this  brief  biography.  It  also  had 
its  bearing  upon  subsequent  ecclesiastical  events. 
His  case  was  similar  to  that  of  many  other  clergymen 
of  his  day,  v/ho,  in  resisting  the  efforts  at  indepcn- 


Ii6      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

dence  made  by  the  colonists,  discharged,  without  fear 
or  favour,  what  they  conscientiously  believed  was  their 
duty  to  their  superiors  both  in  Church  and  State.  His 
talents  and  acquirements,  joined  to  his  strong  will 
and  upright  character,  gave  to  his  advocacy  of  the 
Loyalists'  cause  a  power  which  was  recognised  by 
friend  and  foe  alike.  In  periodical  papers  and  essays 
he  entered  vigorously  into  the  contest,  and  supple- 
mented these  arguments  with  personal  appeals  to 
members  of  the  Colonial  Assembly  of  New  York. 
In  conjunction  with  Drs.  Chandler  and  Inglis,  he 
agreed  to  watch  and  answer  such  publications  as  in 
their  judgment  had  a  tendency  to  subvert  the  authority 
of  the  King.^ 

Space  is  wanting  to  narrate  the  indignities  and  suf- 
ferings, including  imprisonment  and  exile,  to  which  he 
was  subjected  by  reason  of  his  political  sentiments. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  no  amount  of  distress  or  priva- 
tion served  to  alter  his  convictions  or  conduct.  Yet 
when  peace  was  finally  declared,  no  one  was  more 
pronounced  and  sincere  in  his  loyalty  to  the  newly 
made  Government.  This  may  be  seen  from  such 
utterances  as  those  which  are  contained  in  his  letter 
to  Governor  Samuel  Huntington  of  Connecticut. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  happy  event  that  he 
became  the  central  figure  in  a  most  important  ecclesi- 
astical gathering.  The  articles  of  peace  took  effect  on 
January  20,  1783,  and  were  received  at  New  York  in 
the  following  March.     At  that  time  the  whole  number 

^  See  "  The  Life  and  Epoch  of  Alexander  Hamilton,"  by  the  Hon. 
George  Shea,  pp.  293-301. 


BISHOP  SEABURYS  CONSECRATION  117 

of  clergymen  in  Connecticut  was  fourteen.^  Of  these, 
ten  assembled  on  the  Feast  of  the  Annunciation  (March 
25)  in  the  village  of  Woodbury,  to  take  counsel  together 
as  to  the  mission  of  the  Church  under  the  changed 
circumstances  of  the  times.  The  meeting  was  held 
in  the  house  of  the  Rev.  John  Rutgers  Marshall,  a 
missionary  of  the  S.P.G.,  and  rector  of  the  parish.^ 
The  proceedings  were  in  secret,  and  no  layman  was 
admitted.  The  most  important  matter  discussed  was 
the  necessity  of  bishops,  and  the  best  means  of  sup- 
plying this  want.  All  the  more  urgency  was  felt  as 
belonging  to  it  because  of  the  publication  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  White's  scheme,  of  which  an  account  has  already 
been  given,^  and  to  which,  in  a  letter  addressed  to 
him,  the  clergy  assembled  at  Woodbury  made  a  very 
cogent  reply.  The  disturbed  condition  of  the  country, 
and  the  fact  that  most  of  the  clergy  in  the  several 
colonies  were  refugees,  seemed  to  preclude  those  in 
Connecticut  from  any  joint  convention,  and  yet  by 
their  residence  within  civil  limits  already  determined 
as  marking  a  sovereign  state,  they  felt  themselves  quite 
at  liberty  to  proceed  upon  their  own  responsibility. 
It  is  of  interest  and  importance  to  note  that  upon  this 
independent  action  on  their  part  was  based  the  subse- 
quent action  of  Churchmen  in  other  states  when  the 
period  for  elections  to  the  Episcopate  arrived. 

Two  names  chiefly  appear  to  have  occurred  to  the 

^  "Life  and  Correspondence  of  Samuel  Seabury,  D.D.,"  by  the  Rev. 
E.  Edwards  Beardsley,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  p.  77. 

2  This  residence  is  now  the  property  of  the  Bishop  of  the  diocese 
and  reserved  for  ecclesiastical  purposes. 

^  See  pp.  105,  106. 


ii8      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

clergy  at  Woodbury  in  connection  with  the  Episcopate, 
those  of  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  Learning,  D.D.,  and  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Seabury,  D.D.^  Both  of  the  candidates 
were  at  the  time  in  New  York.  Dr.  Leaming  was  in 
every  respect,  save  one,  eminently  qualified  for  the 
office.  By  his  character,  his  scholarship,  and  his  de- 
votion to  the  Church,  he  had  won  the  confidence  and 
regard  of  all  who  knew  him.  One  of  his  contem- 
poraries said  of  him,  "  He  is  indeed  a  tried  servant 
of  the  Church,  and  carries  about  him  in  a  degree  the 
marks  of  a  confessor,"  alluding,  no  doubt,  to  what  he 
had  endured  on  account  of  his  political  loyalty.  But 
his  age  and  bodily  infirmities  would  have  seriously 
interfered  with  his  discharge  of  the  onerous  duties  of 
the  Episcopate.  Therefore  it  would  seem  but  natural 
that  his  brethren  should  all  the  more  turn  eventually 
to  the  younger  and  stronger  priest,  whose  only  impedi- 
ment to  election  was  the  fact  of  his  being  a  refugee, 
and  thus  not  persona  grata  with  the  civil  authorities, 
whose  co-operation  it  was  desirable  to  secure. 

Whether  or  not  Leaming's  name  was  formally  pro- 
posed at  the  meeting  and  his  nomination  acted  upon 
is  not  clearly  known,  for  no  official  records  of  the 
transaction  were  preserved.  It  would  appear  more 
probable  that  he  had  previously  declined  the  contem- 
plated election,  for  the  reason  already  assigned.  So 
that  we  may  conclude  that  on  the  first  and  only  formal 
ballot  Dr.  Seabury  was  chosen  Bishop  of  Connecticut.^ 

'  This  degree  had  been  conferred  on  him  by  the  University  of 
Oxford  in  1777. 

^  See  letters  bearing  on  this  subject  from  the  Rev.  Dr,  Fogg  to  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Parker,  in  Appendix  A. 


BISHOP  SEABURY'S  CONSECRATION  119 

This  supposition  is  supported  by  the  statements  made 
in  one  of  Dr.  Seabury's  letters,  viz.,  the  one  addressed 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  S.P.G.,  written  in  London  after 
his  consecration,  in  which  he  gives  a  succinct  account 
of  the  events  in  connection  with  his  election,  and 
states  the  conviction  of  Mr.  Jarvis  and  others  of  the 
clergy  that  if  he  declined  to  go  to  England  the  whole 
matter  should  be  allowed  to  drop.^ 

As  soon  as  possible  after  the  election,  the  clergy  of 
Connecticut  addressed,  by  the  hand  of  the  Secretary, 
the  Rev.  Abraham  Jarvis,  memorials  to  the  Arch- 
bishops of  Canterbury  and  York,^  stating  most  clearly 
and  forcibly  the  circumstances  and  necessities  of  the 
case,  and  urging  the  immediate  consecration  of  Dr. 
Seabury.  In  addition  to  this  memorial,  letters  were 
written  to  the  same  dignitaries  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Leam- 
ing,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Inglis,  then  rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
New  York,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Moore,  D.D.,  assistant 
minister  in  the  same  parish,  and  others.  In  one  of 
these  communications,  mention  was  made  of  the  fact 
that  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  B.  Chandler  had  been  re- 
commended as  Bishop  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  that  Sir 
Guy  Carleton,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  British 
forces,  had  given  to  the  whole  scheme  his  entire 
approbation. 

Fortified  with  these  letters  and  with  other  testi- 
monials, Seabury  sailed  for  England  in  Admiral 
Digby's  flag-ship.     He  arrived  in  London  on  July  7, 

^  See  "  Bearclsley's  Life,"  p.  172. 
.,.-  The  Archbishop  of  York  was  memorialised  because  of  the  recent 
death  of  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.     By  the  time  of  Dr.  Seabury 's 
arrival  in  London,  this  latter  See  was  again  filled. 


I20      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

and  at  once  set  about  the  accomplishment  of  his 
mission  by  interviews  with  the  Archbishops  of  Canter- 
bury ^  and  York  -  and  the  Bishop  of  London.'  Two 
letters  of  his  to  the  clergy  of  Connecticut  will  best 
describe  some  of  the  difficulties  and  discouragements 
which  he  encountered.  They  will  be  found  in  Ap- 
pendix B.  A  third  letter,  addressed  to  Dr.  Leaming, 
goes  more  into  detail  concerning  some  of  these  diffi- 
culties.    (See  Appendix  B.) 

It  was  not  necessary  to  persuade  the  English  prelates 
of  the  serious  damage  done  the  Church  in  America  by 
its  lack  of  bishops.  Nor  was  there  any  doubt  in  their 
minds  as  to  the  character  and  attainments  of  the 
Bishop-elect.  As  will  be  seen  from  the  letters  referred 
to  already,  various  impersonal  matters  entered  into  the 
delay  that  ensued.  Among  these  was  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  sovereign,  which  he  could  not  con- 
scientiously take,  and  which,  it  was  thought,  could  not 
well  be  omitted;  although  it  was  understood  that  a 
majority  of  the  judges  and  Crown  lawyers  were  of 
the  opinion  that  the  Archbishop  might  safely  proceed. 
Neither  could  an  enabling  Act  be  introduced  without 
exciting  the  displeasure  of  many  in  the  newly  formed 

1  The  Most  Rev.  John  Moore,  D.  D. 

2  The  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Markham. 

3  In  his  "History  of  the  American  Church"  (p.  198),  Bishop 
Wilberforce  states  that  Dr.  Seabury  made  his  application  in  the  be- 
ginning "  to  the  Archbishop  of  York,  the  See  of  Canterbury  being 
vacant."  But  in  his  letters  to  the  clergy  of  Connecticut,  one  dated 
July  15,  1783,  eight  days  after  his  arrival  from  New  York,  and  the 
other  August  10,  1783,  Dr.  Seabury  refers  to  conversations  with  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  which  he  had  before  seeing  the  Archbishop 
of  York,  who  was  not  in  town  when  he  himself  arrived  there.  See 
Appendix  B. 


BISHOP  SEA  BURY 'S  CONSECRATION  12 1 

Republic.  There  was  also  an  apprehension  lest,  with- 
out some  definite  guarantees  of  financial  support,  the 
office  of  a  bishop  might  fall  into  contempt.  Further, 
it  was  desired  that  there  should  be  secured  beforehand 
some  assurance  of  consent  on  the  part  of  the  civil 
government  in  Connecticut.  The  English  Ministry 
were  indisposed  to  promote  any  measures  which  might 
not  further  their  own  party  interests.  They,  in  fact,  re- 
fused to  favour  any  Episcopal  consecration  without  the 
formal  request,  or  at  least  consent,  of  the  American 
Congress.  There  thus  seems  httle  reason  for  doubting 
that  political  reasons  were  now  the  chief  hindrance  in 
the  way.^ 

Seabury  had  patiently  awaited  for  more  than  a  year 
a  satisfactory  termination  of  his  negotiations.  During 
all  this  time,  he  had  strictly  adhered  to  the  Catholic 
principles  with  which  he  had  set  out  on  his  mission, 
but  he  stood  ready  to  avail  himself  of  any  favouring 
circumstances  which  would  not  call  for  any  sacrifice  of 
those  principles.  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Jarvis,  under  date 
of  May  27,  1784,  he  says:  "Believe  me,  there  is 
nothing  that  is  not  base  that  I  would  not  do,  nor  any 
risk  that  I  would  not  run,  nor  any  inconvenience  to 


^  On  November  14,  18S4,  a  special  service  was  held  in  S.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  London,  in  commemoration  of  the  centenary  of  Seabury's 
consecration,  the  sermon  being  preached  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury. Canon  Liddon  wrote  of  it  as  an  occasion  "for  serious  thank- 
fulness to  God."  The  Dean  (Dr.  Church)  described  the  sermon  as  "a 
reparation  for  the  weakness  and  stagnancy  of  1784."  See  Judge  Shea's 
"  Seabury  Commemoration."  Previously,  in  Scotland,  during  the 
month  of  October  1884,  there  had  been  a  series  of  most  interesting 
and  impressive  services  and  gatherings  commemorative  of  the  same 
event,  an  account  of  which  may  be  found  in  sundry  publications. 


122      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

myself  that  I  would  not  encounter,  to  carry  this  busi- 
ness into  effect.  And  I  assure  you,  if  I  do  not  succeed, 
it  shall  not  be  my  fault."  ^ 

In  this  spirit  of  loyalty,  and  yet  with  this  same 
chastened  impatience,  he  determined  to  carry  out  the 
instructions  which  he  originally  received  from  his 
electors,  viz.,  to  apply  to  the  Scotch  bishops  for  con- 
secration. Emphasis  should  be  laid  upon  the  fact  of 
such  instructions,  inasmuch  as  it  is  often  asserted  that 
his  going  to  Scotland  was  an  afterthought  of  his  own, 
or  a  suggestion  of  some  one  whom  he  met  in  England,^ 
instead  of  its  being  the  alternative  originally  agreed 
upon  by  the  Connecticut  clergy.  Before  any  formal 
application  had  been  made  to  them,  the  Scotch  prelates 
had  been  consulted,  and  had  expressed  their  readiness 
to  act.  Without,  however,  committing  himself  to  them 
positively.  Dr.  Seabury  deemed  it  best  to  refer  the 
matter  once  more  to  the  clergy  of  Connecticut,  which 
he  did  through  letters  addressed  to  Dr.  Leaming.     Not 


'  Dr.  Home,  then  Dean  of  Canterbury,  wrote  to  him,  January  3, 
1785  :  "  You  do  me  but  justice  in  supposing  me  a  hearty  friend  to  the 
American  Episcopacy.  I  am  truly  sorry  that  our  Cabinet  here  would 
not  save  you  the  trouble  of  going  to  Scotland  for  it.  There  is  some 
uneasiness,  I  find,  about  it  since  it  is  done.  It  is  said  you  have  been 
precipitate.  I  should  be  inclined  to  think  so  too,  had  any  hopes  been 
left  of  obtaining  consecration  from  England.  But  if  none  were  left, 
what  could  you  do  but  what  you  have  done  ? " 

-  See  last  paragraph  in  the  first  letter  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Fogg  in 
Appendix  A.  See  also  footnote  on  p.  132  of  Dr.  Beardsley's  "Life 
and  Correspondence  of  Samuel  Seabury."  Neither  does  there  seem  to 
be  any  evidence  for  the  opinion  entertained  by  some  (e.^:,  by  a  writer 
in  the  London  Qiiai-terly  Review,  July  1878)  that  Dr.  Seabury 
had  ever  seriously  entertained  the  idea  of  applying  to  the  Church  in 
Denmark,  although  that  Church  had  in  a  kindly  spirit  offered  to  ordain 
clergymen  for  America. 


BISHOP  SEABURY'S  CONSECRATION  123 

hearing  from  them  to  the  contrary,  he  proceeded  to 
petition  the  Scotch  bishops,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Myles  Cooper,  who  at  one  time  ministered  in  America, 
but  had  gone,  because  of  political  complications,  to 
Scotland. 

He  was  not  alone  in  his  petition.  Two  years  before, 
and  therefore  prior  to  Dr.  Seabury's  election,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  George  Berkeley  (who  inherited  an  interest  in  the 
American  Church  from  his  father,  the  celebrated  Bishop 
of  Cloyne)  had  began  a  correspondence  with  the  Rev. 
John  (afterwards  Bishop)  Skinner,  of  Aberdeen,  in 
which  he  urged  that  the  Episcopate  should  be  given 
by  "  the  bishops  of  the  Church  in  Scotland  "  to  "  the 
suffering  and  nearly  neglected  sons  of  Protestant  Epis- 
copacy on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic."  While  other 
clergymen  co-operated  in  the  matter,  the  larger  share 
of  the  influence  brought  to  bear  upon  those  thus  ad- 
dressed must  be  attributed,  and  gratefull}'-,  to  Dr. 
Berkeley,  who  pursued  the  business  with  much  zeal 
and  perseverance.  Dr.  Routh,  the  President  of  Mag- 
dalen College,  Oxford,  was  also  very  much  interested 
in  the  matter.  The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  was 
informed  of  these  negotiations,  and  nothing  was  heard 
from  him  in  disapproval  of  them. 

The  Scotch  bishops  lost  no  time  in  signifying  their 
readiness  to  proceed,  and  accordingly,  on  Sunday, 
November  14,  1784,  Dr.  Seabury  was  consecrated  at 
Aberdeen,  in  the  chapel  belonging  to  Bishop  Skinner.^ 
The  prelates  officiating  were  Robert  Kilgour,  Bishop 

^  No  part  of  this  edifice  is  now  remaining,  although  its  site — in 
Long  Acre  Street — can  easily  be  identified. 


124      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

of  Aberdeen,  and  Primus;  Arthur  Petrie,  Bishop  of 
Moray  and  Ross,  and  John  Skinner,  Coadjutor-Bishop 
of  Aberdeen.  Mr.  (afterwards  Bishop)  Jolly  witnessed 
the  service,  held  the  book  for  the  officiating  bishops, 
and  was  the  first  to  receive  the  newly  made  prelate's 
benediction. 

Although  the  penal  laws  proscribing  within  very 
narrow  limits  the  worship  conducted  by  the  nonjuring 
bishops  and  their  clergy  were  still  on  the  statute-book, 
they  were  not  now  rigorously  enforced.  There  was, 
therefore,  no  attempt  to  conduct  the  service  secretly. 
It  was  attended,  as  we  learn  from  the  "  Minute-Book  of 
the  College  of  Bishops  in  Scotland,"  by  "  a  consider- 
able number  of  respectable  clergymen  and  a  great 
number  of  laity,  on  which  occasion  all  testified  great 
satisfaction."  The  sermon  preached  on  the  occasion 
by  Bishop  Skinner  was  promptly  printed  and  widely 
circulated. 

On  the  day  following  the  consecration,  the  Scotch 
Bishops  and  the  newly  made  American  Bishop  agreed 
upon  a  Concordate,  which  will  be  found  in  full  in 
Appendix  C.^  Its  most  important  provision  was  to  the 
effect  that  Bishop  Seabury  would,  if  he  found  it  "  agree- 
able to  the  genuine  Standards  of  Antiquity,"  endeavour 
to  introduce  into  America  the  Eucharistic  Service  as 
used  by  the  Church  of  Scotland.  He  entered  into  no 
political  engagments  in   Scotland,  nor  were  any  ever 

^  Autotype  copies  of  the  Concordate,  of  Bishop  Seabury's  Letters  of 
Consecration,  and  of  other  documents  relating  to  him,  have  been  made 
at  the  instance  and  charges  of  the  Hon.  George  Shea,  and  may  be  seen 
in  the  Bodleian  Library,  Oxford,  in  the  Library  of  the  General  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  New  York,  and  of  Trinity  College,  Hartford. 


BISHOP  SEABURY'S  CONSECRATION  125 

proposed  to  him.  While  it  was  natural,  and  according 
to  his  promise,  that  an  intimate  communion  should 
be  cultivated  between  that  Church  and  the  Ameri- 
can Church,  Bishop  Seabury  had  in  no  wise  lost 
his  veneration  for  and  attachment  to  the  Church  of 
England  In  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Rev.  Jonathan 
Boucher,  dated  Edinburgh,  December  3,  1784,  he  says  : 
**  My  own  inclination  is  to  cultivate  as  close  a  con- 
nection and  union  with  the  Church  of  England  as  that 
Church  and  the  political  state  of  the  two  countries 
shall  permit." 

Bishop  Seabury  made  haste  to  return  to  Am.erica, 
but  was  obliged  to  await  the  sailing  of  a  good  ship. 
In  the  meantime,  he  went  to  London,  from  which  city 
he  addressed  a  communication  to  some  of  the  Con- 
necticut clergymen,  acquainting  them  with  the  main 
facts  in  connection  with  his  consecration.  In  it  he 
informs  them  that  the  two  Archbishops  are  said  to 
have  been  displeased  with  the  course  he  pursued. 
Dissatisfaction  in  regard  to  it  was  also  shown  by 
one  who  was  afterwards  very  zealous  and  friendly  in 
his  efforts  to  obtain  the  consecration  of  Drs.  White 
and  Provoost  by  the  English  bishops.  This  was 
Granville  Sharp,  whose  chief  objection  to  Bishop 
Seabury 's  consecration  arose  from  the  fact  of  its 
having  been  performed  by  nonjuring  bishops,  from 
whom  he  differed  strenuously  in  politics.^     In  acknow- 

^  The  unfavourable  representation  of  Bishop  Seabury's  character  as 
contained  in  Prince  Hoare's  "  Life  of  Granville  Sharpe,"  is  shown,  by 
Bishop  White's  Memoirs,  to  have  been  based  on  an  entire  misunder- 
standing on  the  part  of  Mr.  Sharpe. 


126      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

ledging  the  receipt  of  the  letter  already  referred  to 
as  having  been  written  by  Bishop  Seabury  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  S.P.G.,  the  latter  addressed  him  as 
"The  Rev.  Dr.  Seabury,"  refusing  to  recognise  his 
official  character. 

It  was  not  until  June  20,  1785,  that  he  reached 
Newport,  Rhode  Island.  His  sermon  on  the  follow- 
ing Sunday  was  preached  (in  the  same  pulpit  where 
Bishop  Berkeley  discoursed  of  the  planting  of  the 
Church)  from  the  text  Hebrews  xii.  I,  2.  One  can 
easily  imagine  the  feelings  of  responsibility,  and  yet  of 
thankfulness,  as  he  realised  the  opening,  under  the  gaze 
of  "  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses,"  of  the  new  era 
of  Church  life  in  America. 

His  subsequent  career  belongs  to  the  general  history 
of  the  Church.  The  present  chapter  is  intended  to 
cover  only  the  steps  leading  up  to  and  including  his 
consecration,  as  to  which  one  closing  remark  may  be 
made.  While  objection  was  taken  to  the  consecration 
as  the  act  of  nonjuring  bishops,  and  because  it  oc- 
curred in  Scotland,  it  may  be  well  to  remember  that, 
although  such  was  the  character  of  the  act,  the  Bishop 
of  Connecticut  "traced  his  episcopal  lineage  through 
the  same  English  bishops  from  whom  were  derived  the 
orders  of  those  who  afterwards  consecrated  bishops 
for  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and  Virginia."^  James 
VI.  of  Scotland,  after  his  accession  to  the  throne  of 
England,  summoned  to  London  the  titular  bishops 
(i.e.,  unconsecrated  superintendents),  and  provided  for 

^  See  "The  Union  of  Divergent  Lines  in  the  American  Succession," 
by  the  Rev.  \Vm.  J    Scabuty,  D.D.,  p.  10. 


BISHOP  SEADURY'S  CONSECRATION  127 

their  consecration  by  English  bishops.  At  the  re- 
storation of  Charles  II.  there  was  left  but  one  repre- 
sentative of  this  line,  and  he  was  superannuated.  But 
in  i66r,  four  more  Scotchmen  were  consecrated  in 
London  by  English  bishops,  and  it  was  from  their 
lineal  successors  that  Bishop  Seabury  received  his 
office  in  Aberdeen.  It  is  also  a  curious  fact  that  the 
English  nonjuring  line  failed  in  all  its  branches,  ex- 
cept in  that  which  combined  with  and  was  merged  in 
the  regular  succession  of  the  Scottish  Church. ^  In  a 
recently  published  brocJiure  on  Johannes  Scotus,  we 
are  well  reminded  of  another  interesting  coincidence, 
viz.,  that  from  the  holy  isles  of  lona  and  Lindisfarne 
flowed  that  living  stream  which,  in  direct  and  unbroken 
progression,  bore  the  validity  of  episcopal  order  in 
America  by  North  British  bishops,  who  in  the  Con- 
cordate  describe  themselves  as  of  "  the  Catholic  re- 
mainder of  the  ancient  Church  of  Scotland."  " 

It  may  also  be  added  that  the  removal  of  the  civil 
disabilities  of  the  Scotch  bishops  is  thought  to  have 
been  indirectly  brought  about  by  their  action  in  con- 
secrating Bishop  Seabury.' 

^  "  The  Election  in  Order  to  Consecration  of  the  First  Bishop  of  Con- 
necticut," by  the  Rev.  Win.  J.  Seabury,  D.D.,  p.  17. 

2  "Johannes  Scotus  and  the  Spagnolelto  Portrait,"  by  the  Hon. 
George  Shea,  p.  13.  See  also  "  Leaders  in  the  Northern  Church,"  by 
Bishop  Lightfoot. 

'^  Perry's  "History  of  the  Constitution  of  the  American  Church,"  p. 
208 ;  also,  Seabury  Centenary  Report,  p.  79. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  TRA^NSITION  PERIOD  OF  THE  CHURCH'S 
HISTORY 

The  relations  of  the  clergy  to  political  affairs — Their  grievances — 
General  sympathy  with  the  movement  for  independence — Church- 
men, both  clerical  and  lay,  in  the  predominance  among  its 
supporters — General  Washington — Early  meetings  of  the  clergy 
for  consultation — The  Maryland  Declaration  of  Ecclesiastical 
Rights — The  preliminaries  for  a  General  C9nvention— The  first 
ordinations — The  first  consecration  of  a  church— The  First  General 
Convention — Lay  representation — Provisional  Constitution — The 
validity  of  Bishop  Seabury's  consecration — "  The  Proposed  Book  " 
— A  reply  to  the  Archbishops  and  Bishops — Their  response — The 
General  Convention  at  Wilmington — The  Rev.  Dr.  Smith  of 
Maryland. 

Naturally  enough,  the  transition  period  of  Church 
history,  which  covers  the  times  immediately  preceding 
and  following  the  War  of  the  Revolution  and  the 
possession  of  autonomy  by  the  Church,  forms  one  of 
its  most  critical  and  interesting  epochs.  Indeed,  as 
one  studies  the  trials  and  perils  which  beset  the 
Church,  one  is  forced  anew  to  wonder  that  she  did  not 
entirely  perish,  or  at  least  so  far  depart  from  Catholic 
principles  as  to  cut  herself  off  from  communion  with 
her  Anglican  mother. 

For  years,  the  growing  dissatisfaction  with  the 
political  condition  of  the  country  and  the  many  utter- 
ances  looking   towards    national    independence   were 

128 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  129 

well  known  to  the  clergy,  and  were  the  subject  of 
discussion  between  them  and  their  parishioners.  To 
some  of  the  clergy,  the  grievances  complained  of  ap- 
peared real  and  intolerable.  To  others,  they  seemed 
better  than  the  ills  to  which  an  uncertain  rebellion 
might  expose  the  Colonies.  Again,  there  were  those 
to  whom,  no  doubt,  the  name  of  Tory  properly  be- 
longed, and  who,  from  their  unnecessary  zeal  in  the 
controversy,  could  hardly  expect  to  avoid  severe  treat- 
ment from  the  excited  populace.  And  yet  there  were 
others  so  named  who  were  men  of  lofty  principle,  and 
who  acted  solely  at  the  dictates  of  a  religious  con- 
science. They  honestly  believed  themselves  to  be 
right,  and  so  preferred  neutrality,  even  with  persecu- 
tion, rather  than,  by  violating  their  convictions,  to  gain 
security  and  popularity.  They  felt  themselves  still 
bound  by  their  oath  to  the  British  Government,  and 
by  the  pecuniary  support  which  they  received  from 
abroad.  They  knew  further  that  much  of  the  political 
agitation  was  based  not  solely  upon  a  sense  of  wrong 
done  by  the  Crown  and  Parliament,  but  was  due  to 
an  abhorrence  of  the  Church,  whose  overthrow  the 
Dissenters  hoped  at  the  same  time  to  accomplish. 
Hence  it  was  that  some  of  their  ministers  preached 
war  instead  of  peace. 

It  is  very  easy,  therefore,  to  appreciate  the  difficul- 
ties in  which  the  Church  was  placed,  and  the  strained 
relations  existing  between  many  of  the  clergy  and 
their  people.  And  no  matter  what  may  be  the  views 
entertained  of  their  policy,  it  is  difficult  not  to  admire 
the  patience  and  devotion  with  which  the  ill-requited 


rjo      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

missionaries  went  on  in  their  labours,  despite  the 
straits  and  intimidations  they  were  compelled  to 
endure.i 

.  Personal  violence  was  not  wanting  in  a  number  of 
instances.  "  They  were  assaulted  with  stones  and 
dirt,  ducked  in  water,  obliged  to  flie  for  their  lives, 
driven  from  their  habitations  and  families,  laid  under 
arrests,  and  imprisoned;"'^  and  what  greatly  added 
to  their  misery,  was  the  knowledge  that  many  of  their 
parishioners  were  reduced,  through  like  causes,  to  the 
same  poverty  and  danger.  In  writing  of  these  times, 
one  of  the  exiled  clergymen  (the  Rev.  Isaac  Brown) 
says,  "The  judgments  of  God  fall  very  heavy  on  the 
inhabitants  of  this  land  in  general,  and  seem  to  be  yet 
increasing  daily.  Even  the  brute  creation  groans  and 
travails  in  pain ;  for  all  manner  of  cruelties  are  prac- 
tised upon  the  beasts  of  the  field,  as  well  as  their 
owners,  in  this  day  of  common  calamity ;  and  no 
prospect  of  redress  that  I  can  see,  either  from  Heaven 
or  men ;  for  the  inhabitants  have  not  yet  learned 
righteousness,  and  consequently  remain  very  proper 
instruments  to  execute  the  Divine  vengeance  on  one 
another."  Some  churches  were  converted  into  stables 
for  the  horses  of  the  Continental  soldiers.  Organ  pipes 
were  melted  into  bullets,  and  altar  vessels  were  stolen 
and  desecrated. 

^  See  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  Philip  Reading,  dated  Apoquinimink, 
Delaware,  August  25,  1776. 

^  See  "Letters  of  the  Rev.  Thos.  Barton  to  the  Secretary,  S.P.G.," 
dated  Nov.  25,  1776,  and  January  8,  1779.  One  who  had  made  himself 
especially  obnoxious  because  of  his  Tory  sentiments,  was  beguiled  from 
his  bed  at  night,  taken  into  the  woods,  stripped,  whipped,  and  left  tied 
to  a  tree. 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  131 

In  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Bishop  of  London,  under 
date  of  June  30,  1775,  the  Rev.  Messrs,  Richard  Peters, 
Wilham  Smith,  Jacob  Duche,  Thomas  Coombe,  WilHam 
Stringer,  and  William  White  express  their  hope  and 
prayer  that  even  yet  there  may  be  found  by  "  the  good 
and  benevolent  men  in  both  countries,  a  plan  of  recon- 
ciliation, vv^orthy  of  being  offered  by  a  great  nation, 
that  have  long  been  the  patrons  of  freedom  throughout 
the  world,  and  not  unworthy  of  being  accepted  by  a 
people  sprung  from  them,  and  by  birth  claiming  a 
participation  of  their  rights." 

Notwithstanding  the  opposition  to  the  War  of  the 
Revolution  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  clergy  and  the 
neutrality  of  others,  there  was  in  the  Church  much 
sympathy  with  the  movement,  both  among  the  clergy 
and  laity.  We  have  already  seen  evidence  of  it  in 
the  earlier  history  of  Virginia,  where  the  vestries  at 
intervals  sounded  what  may  be  fairly  denominated  the 
first  notes  of  alarm.  Dr.  Joseph  Warren,  an  eminent 
patriot  and  martyr,  witnessed  that  "  the  gentlemen  of 
the  Established  Church  of  England  are  men  of  the 
most  just  and  liberal  sentiments,  and  are  high  in  the 
esteem  of  the  most  sensible  and  resolute  defenders  of 
the  rights  of  the  people  of  this  continent."  In  the 
north,  Bass  and  Parker — both  of  them  afterwards 
bishops  —  boldly  allied  themselves  to  the  cause  of 
independence.  So  did  Provoost,  afterwards  Bishop  of 
New  York,  and  Madison,  first  Bishop  of  Virginia. 
Croes,  the  first  Bishop  of  New  Jersey,  served  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  war  as  a  non-commissioned  officer, 
while  Robert  Smith,  the  first  Bishop  of  South  Carolina, 


132      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

and  Charles  M.  Thruston,  of  Virginia,  were  privates 
in  the  same  army.  A  graphic  account  is  preserved 
of  the  manner  in  which  John  Peter  Gabriel  Muhlen- 
berg finally  became  a  major-general.  He  was  rector 
of  Woodstock,  Virginia,  and  had  received  a  colonel's 
commission  from  General  Washington.  He  proceeded 
on  a  Sunday  to  church,  and,  after  a  patriotic  sermon, 
took  leave  of  his  congregation  in  the  following 
words :  "  There  is  a  time  for  all  things — a  time 
to  preach  and  a  time  to  pray ;  but  there  is  also  a 
time  to  fight,  and  that  is  now  come."  He  then 
gave  them  his  benediction,  and  throwing  back  his 
gown,  discovered  to  them  his  military  uniform.  He 
ordered  the  drums  to  beat  for  recruits,  and  soon 
marched  away  from  the  church3^ard  with  300  sol- 
diers. He  remained  with  the  army  to  the  close  of 
the  war,  and  then  engaged  in  civil  pursuits,  until  his 
death  in  1807.  It  was  Duche,  a  Philadelphia  clergy- 
man, that  offered  the  first  prayer  in  Congress, 
arrayed  in  full  canonicals,  and  William  White  who 
was  its  regular  chaplain.  Many  other  names  might 
be  given,  but  these  may  suffice  as  examples.  In 
South  Carolina,  it  is  calculated  that  fifteen  out  of 
the  twenty  clergymen  there  espoused  the  national 
cause. 

Of  laymen  belonging  to  the  Church,  who  were 
leaders  in  this  cause,  and  afterwards  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  formation  of  the  new  government,  there 
were  many  in  all  sections  of  the  land.  Chief,  of  course, 
among  them  was  Washington,  who  as  a  young  man 
had  been  a  lay-reader  in  Pennsylvania,  and  who  was 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  133 

a  communicant  ^  and  regular  worshipper  wherever  he 
Hved.  Benjamin  Franklin,  Alexander  Hamilton,  John 
Marshall,  John  Jay,  Robert  Morris,  Francis  Hopkinson, 
John  Randolph,  Patrick  Henry,  and  the  Pinkneys  will 
serve  as  illustrations  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Church 
was  drawn  upon  for  the  best  material  of  which  the 
young  nation's  several  departments  were  constituted. 
It  may  also  be  added  that  the  Declaration  of  Rights, 
adopted  by  the  Virginia  Legislature,  and  subsequently 
embodied  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  was 
written  by  George  Mason,  a  Churchman,  and  that  not 
less  than  two-thirds  of  the  signers  of  the  latter  Declara- 
tion were  likewise  Churchmen.  Thomas  Jefferson,  its 
chief  author,  was  a  member  of  the  Church,  and  a 
regular  attendant  upon  her  services.  It  was  from 
the  steeple  of  Christ  Church,  Boston,  that  the  signal- 
lanterns  of  Paul  Revere  were  hung,  on  Easter- 
Tuesday,  April  18,  1775,  announcing  to  expectant 
multitudes  the  beginning  of  the  struggle  which  ended 
in  the  overthrow  of  the  British  Government.  The 
first  notice  taken  of  the  Declaration  by  any  religious 
body  was  the  action  of  the  rector  and  vestry  of  the 
united  parishes  of  Christ  Church  and  St.  Peter's, 
Philadelphia,  in  immediately  adapting  the  Prayer-Book 
to  the  change  in  civil  affairs. 


*  Bishop  White  states  ("  Memoir,"  by  the  Rev.  Bird  Wilson,  D.D., 
p.  196)  that  General  Washington,  while  a  regular  attendant  upon  public 
worship,  was  not  a  communicant  in  the  Philadelphia  parishes,  but  there 
are  equally  positive  statements  of  his  having  occasionally  communicated 
in  S.  Paul's  Chapel,  New  York,  in  his  later  life.  In  his  earlier  life  in 
Virginia,  he  was  a  frequent  communicant.  His  devout  and  Christian 
course  in  general  is  known  beyond  all  possibility  of  controversy. 


134      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

A  comparison  is  often  drawn  between  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  Church  and  that  of  the  Republic,  with  a 
view  of  showing  the  similarity  between  the  two  instru- 
ments— a  similarity  not  to  be  wondered  at,  when  it 
is  recollected  that  a  number  of  those  who  were  con- 
cerned in  framing  the  one  were  also  concerned  in 
framing  the  other.  But  it  must  also  be  remembered 
that  the  Church's  constitution  was  first  adopted.  As 
in  England/  ecclesiastical  unity  preceded  political 
unity,  just  as  we  shall  see,  later  on,  that  the  Church 
in  America  was  reunited  before  the  State,  after  the 
great  Civil  War.  Two-thirds  of  those  who  framed  the 
Constitution  were  Churchmen.  Thus  has  it  been  in 
all  subsequent  periods.  The  very  large  number  of 
Churchmen  filling  various  posts  of  prominence  in  the 
State,  both  at  home  and  as  ambassadors  abroad, 
proves  unquestionably  the  complete  manner  in  which 
the  Church  has  enabled  her  members  to  adapt  them- 
selves to  American  ideas  and  institutions. 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  that,  under  all  the  circum- 
stances of  such  a  revolution,  the  condition  of  the 
Church,  which,  even  after  the  declaration  of  peace 
was  reckoned  to  be  the  Church  of  England,  and 
therefore  was  looked  upon  by  many  with  suspicion 
and  hostility,  would  be  anything  but  prosperous.  If 
it  had  not  been  for  the  humane  and  Catholic  policy  of 
the  S.P.G.,  in  continuing  during  the  war  the  stipends 
of  such  missionaries  as  remained  on  the  ground,  there 
would  have  been  still  more  serious  losses  to  record. 

'  Chronologically  and  actually,  the  Church  there  established  the 
State,  and  not  the  State  the  Church. 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  135 

There  were  instances  of  growth  even  during  the 
war,  but  they  were  exceptional.  Dr.  Inglis  thus  notes 
one  of  them,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  S.P.G.,  under 
date  of  May  6,  1782:  "It  may  be  some  satisfaction 
to  you  to  hear  that  the  Church  of  England,  notwith- 
standing the  persecutions  it  suffers,  gains  ground  in 
some  places,  especially  in  Connecticut.  This  I  can 
assure  you  of  as  an  indubitable  fact.  The  steady 
uniform  conduct  of  the  Society's  missionaries,  and 
of  a  few  clergymen  who  are  not  in  this  service,  in 
that  province;  their  adherence  to  the  dictates  of 
conscience  by  persevering  in  loyalty  and  preaching 
the  Gospel,  unadulterated  with  politics,  raised  the 
esteem  and  respect  even  of  their  enemies;  whilst  the 
pulpit  of  Dissenters  resounded  with  scarcely  anything 
else  than  the  furious  politics  of  the  times,  which 
occasioned  disgust  in  the  more  serious  and  thinking. 
The  consequence  is  that  many  serious  Dissenters 
have  actually  joined  the  Church  of  England.  The  in- 
crease in  some  places  has  been  surprisingly  great."  ^ 

As  far  back  as  1707,  the  Rev.  Evan  Evans  could 
write  that  "that  Church  which  first  seemed  to  be  but 
a  private  conventicle  is  now  become  truly  the  Catholic 
Church  in  these  parts." 

But,  as  already  intimated,  the  general  condition  of 
ecclesiastical  affairs  was  discouraging.  Parishes  be- 
came wholly  extinct,  or  were  for  a  time  entirely 
forsaken.      In    1783,   scarcely  more   than  a  hundred 

'  It  will  be  seen  later  how,  because  of  the  same  abstinence  from  poli- 
tical harangues  in  the  pulpit,  the  Church  gained  largely  during  the 
period  of  the  Civil  War  (1861-65). 


136      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Church  clergymen  were  in  the  whole  country.^  Yet 
those  who  still  remained  seemed  in  many  cases  to  be 
quite  awake  to  the  responsibilities  resting  upon  them, 
in  view  of  the  change  wrought  in  the  position  of  the 
Church ;  and  there  were  not  a  few  laymen  who  sym- 
pathised with  them  in  their  plans  as  to  its  independent 
and  national  organisation. 

Indeed,  the  subject  of  national  or  provincial  organisa- 
tion had  been  in  the  minds  of  the  clergy  long  before  the 
War  of  Independence.  In  1704,  the  clergy  of  what  was 
then  called  the  province  of  New  York,  "  the  Itinerants 
to  the  Jerseys,"  Mr.  Nichols,  of  Chester,  and  Mr.  Evans, 
of  Philadelphia,  convened  in  New  York  to  consult 
as  to  the  condition  and  requirements  of  the  Church. 
They  transmitted  their  views  by  letter  to  the  Bishop 
of  London. 

Colonel  Quarry,  in  a  letter  of  February  12,  1708, 
writes  of  some  such  meeting  as  being  held  under  oaths 
of  secrecy,  and  roundly  censures  "  these  young  gentle- 
men of  the  clergy  "  for  their  "  rash  act,"  and  compares 
the  time  of  mutual  complaints  with  the  recent  time,  when 
"  the  Minister  could  no  sooner  propose  or  mention  a 
conveniency  or  want  but  immediately  the  Vestry  met 
and  supplied  it,  and  every  man  thought  himself  happy 
that  could  enjoy  most  of  the  Minister's  conversation 
at  their  houses." 

In  17 19,  the  clergy  of  Virginia  met  together  at 
Williamsburg,  for  the  same  purpose,  and  from  that 
time  on,  at  different  intervals,  similar  meetings  were 

^  At  one  time,  the  Rev.  Dr.  White  was  the  only  Church  clergyman 
in  Pennsylvania. 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  137 

held  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  The  most  im- 
portant of  these  assembled  at  Annapohs,  Maryland,  in 
August  1783.  As  setting  forth  the  views  which  were 
generally  entertained  at  that  time,  and  as  the  basis 
of  like  declarations  subsequently  issued  elsewhere,  the 
Declaration,  which  was  then  unanimously  agreed  upon, 
deserves  a  prominent  place  in  the  records  of  that 
period.  It  is  also,  so  far  as  is  known,  the  first  public 
use  of  that  name  of  the  American  Church  which  has 
been  so  long  its  legal  title :  The  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.^ 

"A  Declaration  of  ctr\.di\n  fwidameutal  Rights  and 
Liberties  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  Mar}'- 
land ;  had  and  made  at  a  Convention  or  Meeting  of  the 
Clergy  of  said  Church,  duly  assembled  at  Annapolis, 
August  13,  1783,  agreeable  to  a  Vote  of  the  General 
Assembly  passed  upon  a  petition  presented  in  the 
Name  and  Behalf  of  the  said  Clergy. 

"  Whereas  by  the  Constitution  and  Form  of  Govern- 
ment of  this  State  *  all  persons  professing  the  Christian 
Religion  are  equally  entitled  to  protection  in  their 
Religious  Liberty,  and  no  person  by  any  law  (or 
otherwise)  ought  to  be  molested  in  his  Person  or 
Estate,  on  account  of  his  religious  persuasion  or  pro- 
fession, or  for  his  religious  practice;  unless,  under 
Colour  of  Religion,  any  man  shall  disturb  the  good 
order,  peace,  or  safety  of  the  State,  or  shall  infringe 


^  It  was  at  this  same  meeting  in  Annapolis  that  Dr.  Smith  was 
chosen — as  Claggett  expresses  it,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend — "  to  go  to 
Europe  to  be  ordained  an  Antistes,  President  of  the  Clergy,  or  Bishop, 
if  that  name  does  not  hurt  your  feelings." 


138      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

the  Laws  of  morality,  or  injure  others  in  their  natural, 
civil,  or  religious  Rights.'     And 

"  Whereas  the  ecclesiastical  and  Spiritual  Independ- 
ence of  the  different  Religious  Denominations,  Socie- 
ties, Congregations,  and  Churches  of  Christians  in  this 
State,  necessarily  follows  from,  or  is  included  in  their 
civil  Ifidependefice  : 

"  Wherefore  we,  the  Clergy  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal CJmrcJi  of  Maryland  (heretofore  denominated 
the  Church  of  England,  as  by  Law  established)  with 
all  Duty  to  the  civil  Authority  of  the  State,  and  with 
all  Love  and  Good-will  to  our  Fellow-Christians  of 
every  other  religious  Denomination,  do  hereby  declare, 
make  knoivn,  and  claitn  the  following,  as  certain  of 
the  fundamental  Righls  and  Liberties  inherent  in 
and  belonging  to  the  said  Episcopal  Church,  not 
only  of  common  Right,  but  agreeably  to  the  express 
Words,  Spirit,  and  Design  of  the  Constitution  and 
Form  of  Government  aforesaid,  viz. — 

"  L  We  consider  it  as  the  undoubted  Right  of  the 
said  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  in  common  with 
other  Christian  Churches  under  the  American  Re- 
volution, to  complete  and  preserve  herself  as  an  entire 
Church,  agreeably  to  her  ancient  Usages  and  Pro- 
fession, and  to  have  the  free  Enjoyment  and  free 
Exercise  of  those  purely  spiritual  Poivers  which  are 
essential  to  the  Being  of  every  Church  or  Congregation 
of  the  faithful,  and  which,  being  derived  only  from 
Christ  and  His  Apostles  are  to  be  maintained  in- 
dependent of  txtry  foreign  or  other  Jurisdiction,  so  far 
as  may  be  consistent  with  the  civil  Rights  of  Society. 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  139 

"II.  That  ever  since  the  Refoj-iimtion,  it  hath  been 
the  received  Doctrine  of  the  Church  whereof  we  are 
Members  (and  which,  by  the  Constitution  of  this  State, 
is  entitled  to  the  perpetual  Enjoyment  of  certain  Pro- 
perty and  Rights  under  the  Denomination  of  the 
Church  of  England)  'That  there  be  these  three 
Orders  of  Ministers  in  Christ's  Church,  Bishops, 
Priests  and  Deacons/  and  that  an  Episcopal  Ordina- 
tion and  Commission  are  necessary  to  the  valid  Ad- 
ministration of  the  Sacraments,  and  the  due  Exercise 
of  the  Ministerial  Functions  in  the  said  Church. 

"III.  That,  without  calling  in  Question  the  Rights^ 
Modes,  and  Forms  of  any  other  Christian  Churches  or 
Societies,  or  wishing  the  least  contest  with  them  on 
that  Subject,  we  consider  and  declare  it  to  be  an  essen- 
tial Right  of  the  said  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  to 
have  and  enjoy  the  Continuance  of  the  said  three 
Orders  of  Ministers  forever,  so  far  as  concerns  Matters 
purely  spiritual ;  and  that  no  Persons,  in  the  Character 
of  Ministers,  except  such  as  are  in  the  Communion  of 
the  said  Church,  and  duly  called  to  the  Ministry  by 
regular  Episcopal  Ordination  can  or  ought  to  be  ad- 
mitted into  or  enjoy  any  of  the  *  Churches,  Chapels, 
Glebes,  or  other  Property,'  formerly  belonging  to  the 
Church  of  England  in  this  State,  and  which  by  the 
Constitution  and  Form  of  Government  is  secured  to 
the  said  Church  forever,  by  whatsoever  Name  she,  the 
said  Church,  or  her  superior  Order  of  Ministers,  may 
in  future  be  denominated. 

"  IV.  That  as  it  is  the  Right,  so  it  will  be  the  Duty, 
of  the  said  Church,  when  duly  organised,  constituted, 


I40      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

and  represented  in  a  Synod  or  Convention  of  the  dif- 
ferent Orders  of  her  Ministry  and  People,  to  revise 
her  Liturgy,  Forms  of  Prayer,  and  public  Worship, 
in  order  to  adapt  the  same  to  the  late  Revolution 
and  other  local  Circumstances  of  America;  which  it 
is  humbly  conceived  may  and  will  be  done,  without 
any  other  or  farther  Departure  from  the  venerable 
Order  and  beautiful  Forms  of  Worship  of  the  Church 
from  whence  we  sprung,  than  may  be  found  expedient 
in  the  Change  of  our  Situation  from  a  DAUGHTER  to 
a  Sister-Church. 

{Signed,  August  13,  1783.) 

"William    Smith,    President,   St.    Paul's    and    Chester 

Parishes,  Kent  County. 
John  Gordon,  St.  Michael's,  Talbot. 
John   M'Pherson,  William   and   Mary   Parish,  Charles 

County. 
Samuel  Keene,  Dorchester  Parish,  Dorchester  County. 
William  West,  St.  Paul's  Parish,  Baltimore  County. 
William  Thompson,  St.  Stephen's,  Cecil  County. 
Walter    Magowan,   St.   James's   Parish,  Ann-Arundel 

County. 
John  Stephen,  All  Faith  Parish,  St.  Mary's  County. 
Tho.  Jno.  ClagGETT,  St.  Paul's  Parish,  Prince  George's 

County. 
George  Goldie,  King  and  Queen,  St.  Mary's  County. 
Joseph    Messinger,    St.    Andrew's    Parish,   St.   Mary's 

County. 
John  Bowie,  St.  Peter's  Parish,  Talbot  County. 
Walter  Harrison,  Durham  Parish,  Charles  County. 
William   Hanna,   St.   Margaret's,  Westminster   Parish, 

Ann-Arundel  County. 
Thomas  Gates,  St.  Ann's,  Annapolis. 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  141 

(Signed,  June  2^rd,  1 7 8 4. )  * 

"John  Andrews,  St.  Thomas's  Parish,  Baltimore  County. 
Hamilton  Bell,  Stephney  Parish,  Somerset  County. 
Francis  Walker,  now  of  Shrewsbury  Parish,  Kent  County," 

The  honour  of  suggesting  the  preliminary  meeting 
of  representatives  from  the  whole  country,  which 
eventually  led  to  what  is  now  known  as  the  General 
Convention,  would  seem  to  be  due  to  the  Rev.  Abraham 
Beach,  of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey.  He  corre- 
sponded on  the  subject,  early  in  1784,  with  Dr.  William 
White,  who  had  already  moved  in  the  matter  of  a 
convention  of  the  different  parishes  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  who  was  also  very  much  in  favour  of  such  an 
assembly  as  Mr.  Beach  proposed.  The  call  for  this 
gathering  was  issued,  and  it  took  place  at  New  Bruns- 
wick, on  Tuesday,  May  11,  1784,  in  connection  with  a 
meeting  of  the  Corporation  for  the  Relief  of  the  Widows 
and  Orphans  of  the  Clergy.  There  were  present  clergy 
and  laity  from  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  secretary  was  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Moore, 
afterwards  Bishop  of  New  York.  The  only  action  taken 
was  the  appointment  of  committees  to  secure  the  co- 
operation of  the  whole  Church  (especially  of  Connec- 
ticut, whose  status  was  not  as  yet  clearly  defined)  in 
measures  looking  to  the  formation  of  "  a  continental  re- 
presentation of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  for  the  better 
management  of  the  other  concerns  of  the  said  Church." 

^  These  later  signatures  were  appended  at  a  meeting  held  on  the  day 
mentioned,  when  both  the  clergy  and  laity  of  Maryland  were  present. 
The  latter,  in  a  separate  conference,  considered  the  Declaration  by 
paragraphs,  and  unanimously  approved  it. 


143      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

At  the  instance  of  Dr.  White,  a  meeting  of  the 
clergy  and  laity  of  Pennsylvania  was  held  ill  Phila- 
delphia, May  24,  1784.  This  assembly  is  noteworthy, 
among  other  things,  from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  first 
of  such  formal  conferences  where  the  laity  had  been 
accorded  the  rights  and  privileges  of  membership.^ 
Four  clergymen  and  twenty-one  laymen  were  present. 
A  series  of  fundamental  principles  was  set  forth,  which 
followed  very  much  the  Maryland  declaration  of  the 
previous  year,  although  it  was  more  concisely  ex- 
pressed. It  is  claimed  that,  after  all,  they  were  but 
an  amplification  of  the  ideas  originally  set  forth  by 
Dr.  White,  in  "The  Case  of  the  Episcopal  Churches 
Considered."  ^  The  clergy  of  Maryland  met  again  at 
Chester,  October  1784,  and  agreed  upon  certain  Con- 
stitutions, which  were  quite  similar  to  those  after- 
wards adopted  by  the  General  Convention. 

The  clergy  of  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island  met 
at  Boston,  September  8,  1784,  and  adopted  substan- 
tially the  principles  which  had  been  forwarded  to 
them  from  the  Pennsylvania  Convention,  adding  a 
clause  which  reserved  to  the  Churchmen  of  America 
the  right  to  apply  for  the  Episcopate  to  some  regular 
Episcopal  foreign  power,  a  subject  upon  which  they 
addressed  a  circular  letter  to  the  clergy  in  Connecticut, 
New  York,  and  Pennsylvania.  In  this  letter,  signed 
by  the  Moderator,  John  Greaves,  of  Rhode  Island, 
though  written  by  Parker,  it  was  stated,  as  the  unani- 


1  See  pp.  145,  146. 

-  See  "  Bohlen  Lectures  "  (1S90),  hy  the  Bishop  of  Iowa,  on  "  The 
History  of  the  Constitution  of  the  American  Church,"  pp.  64  and  74. 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  #43 

mous  opinion  of  the  clergy  assembled,  "  that  it  is 
beginning  at  the  wrong  end  to  attempt  to  organise  our 
Church  before  we  have  obtained  a  head."  And  again  : 
"  We  cannot  conceive  it  probable,  or  even  possible,  to 
carry  the  plan  you  ^  have  pointed  out  into  execution 
before  an  Episcopate  is  obtained  to  direct  our  motions 
and  by  a  delegated  authority  to  claim  our  assent." 

Notwithstanding  this  unfavourable  opinion,  the  plan, 
as  originally  proposed,  was  carried  out,  and  a  Conven- 
tion was  held  in  New  York,  October  6  and  7,  1784. 
There  were  present  one  clergyman  from  Massachusetts 
and  Rhode  Island,  one  from  Connecticut,  six  clergy- 
men and  three  laymen  from  New  York,  one  clergyman 
and  three  laymen  from  New  Jersey,  three  clergymen 
and  four  layman  from  Pennsylvania,  two  clergymen  and 
one  layman  from  Delaware,  and  one  clergyman  from 
Maryland.  In  addition  to  these  regularly  accredited 
members,  there  was  also  present,  "by  permission," 
the  Rev.  Wm.  Griffith,  from  Virginia,  who  could  not 
be  accounted  a  delegate,  inasmuch  as  the  clergy  of 
that  State  were  prohibited  by  law  from  taking  any 
formal  part  in  the  proceedings.  The  business  of  the 
Convention  consisted  in  enumerating  certain  funda- 
mental principles,  such  as  had  been  adopted  at  the 
provincial  meetings  already  noted,  and  in  recommend- 
ing the  assembling  of  a  General  Convention,  to  be 
governed  by  such  principles,  and  to  be  held  in  Phila- 
delphia on  the  following  Feast  of  St.  Michael.  It  was 
resolved  that  bishops  should  be  ^.r  o^a'o  members  of 
such   General    Conventions,  and    that  the  clergy  and 

^  From  this  "you,"  the  clergy  of  Connecticut  auist  be  excluded. 


144      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

laity,  while  deliberating  in  one  body,  should  vote 
separately,  and  that  the  concurrence  of  both  orders 
should  be  necessary  to  give  validity  to  any  measure. 

Before  the  assembling  of  the  General  Convention  at 
Philadelphia,  the  clergy  and  laity  of  several  of  the 
provinces  met  separately,  to  consider  what  steps  were 
advisable  for  them  to  take  with  reference  to  the  coming 
assembly.  There  was  a  common  agreement  among 
them  in  favour  of  sending  representatives  to  it,  and 
of  the  principles  already  laid  down.  Virginia,  however, 
gave  only  a  qualified  assent  to  some  of  them,  and  South 
Carolina  stipulated  that  7io  bishop  should  be  settled  in 
that  State.  This  latter  fact  shows  how  strong,  even 
among  avowed  Churchmen,  the  prejudice  still  was 
against  the  introduction  of  bishops  consecrated  b}"" 
others  in  a  foreign  country.  Even  as  late  as  1787 
there  were  some  (not  many)  in  Virginia  opposed  to  the 
introduction  of  the  Episcopate,  who  ventured  to  assert 
the  equality  of  bishops  and  presbyters  in  ancient 
times.  In  Virginia  likewise,  there  was  considerable 
hostility  to  the  adoption  of  more  than  the  one  Creed, 
the  Apostles' ;  and  Churchmen  there  proposed  that 
bishops  should  of  necessity  continue  to  hold  a  parish,^ 
and  take  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Commonwealth. 

In  these  provincial  gatherings,  there  was  evidently 
enough  an  assertion  of  the  sovereign  independence  of 
the  Church  within  such  jurisdictions,  but  there  was 
also  a  growing  desire  for  some  corporate  unity  which 

'  It  has  been  by  no  means  uncommon,  even  up  to  a  very  recent  date, 
for  bishops  to  be  rectors  of  parishes  within  their  dioceses,  chiefly  from 
financial  considerations. 


•      TRANSITION  PERIOD  145 

should  be  recognised  and  felt  throughout  the  new 
Republic.  In  Connecticut,  and  in  other  parts  of  New 
England,  this  sense  of  independence  was  all  the 
stronger  because  of  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Sea- 
bury,  who  was  more  or  less  formally  recognised  as 
in  charge  of  that  section.  He  was  by  due  election 
Bishop  of  Rhode  Island  as  well  as  of  Connecticut, 
afterwards  of  Massachusetts,  and  so  practically  of  the 
whole  of  New  England.  He  had  held  a  convention 
of  his  clergy  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  August  2, 
1785,  when,  after  receiving  from  them  a  dutiful 
address,  he  made  a  suitable  reply.  This  was  followed 
by  an  ordination,  which,  as  being  the  first  ever  wit- 
nessed in  America,  had  a  peculiar  interest  and  import- 
ance. Four  persons  were  made  deacons,  Messrs. 
Henry  Van  Dyke,i  Philo  Shelton,2  and  Ashbel  Bald- 
win,2  of  Connecticut,  with  Mr.  Colin  Ferguson,*  of 
Maryland.  This  last  name  occurs  first  on  the  Bishop's 
register,  and  may  therefore  be  presumed  to  be  that  of 
the  person  first  ordained.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
service,  "  the  Bishop  dissolved  the  Convention,  and 
directed  the  clergy  to  meet  him  at  five  o'clock  in  con- 
vocation." Besides  eleven  of  the  Connecticut  clergy, 
there  were  present  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Moore,  of  New 
York,  and  the  Rev.  Samuel  Parker,  of  Boston.     The 


'  Successively  rector  at  Amboy  and  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey, 
at  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  and  at  Newtown,  Long  Island. 

^  He  became  at  once,  and  continued  until  his  death  in  1825,  rector 
of  Fairfield,  Connecticut. 

*  Rector  at  Litchfield  and  then  at  Stratford,  both  in  Connecticut. 

■•  Professor  and  afterwards  Principal  in  Washington  College,  Qies- 
tertown,  Maryland, 

K 


146      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Bishop  delivered  a  charge,  in  which  a  brief  summary 
was  given  of  the  steps  leading  to  his  consecration. 
An  earnest  exhortation  followed  as  to  the  care  the 
clergy  should  bestow  upon  their  instructions,  public 
and  private,  and  also  upon  recommendations  to  candi- 
dates for  Holy  Orders.  In  closing,  he  dwelt  at 
length  upon  the  nature  of  and  necessity  for  Confirma- 
tion. The  Convocatiori  consulted  about  liturgical 
changes  and  ecclesiastical  matters  in  general,  adjourn- 
ing to  meet  at  New  Haven  in  September. 

On  the  following  Sunday,  the  first  American  ordina- 
tion to  the  Priesthood  was  held,  Mr.  Ferguson  being 
the  candidate.  At  the  same  time  Mr.  Thomas  Fitch 
Oliver,  of  Providence,  was  admitted  to  the  diaconate.^ 

The  clergy  of  other  parts  were  invited  by  those  of 
Connecticut  to  meet  with  them  in  September,  but 
there  was  no  response  to  this  letter,  and  they  felt  con- 
strained to  decline  attending  at  Philadelphia,  chiefly 
because  the  recognition  of  Bishop  Seabury's  rights 
was  not  assured  by  the  fundamental  articles  as  set 
forth  at  New  York,  and  for  another  reason  to  be  here- 
after mentioned.-  Such  alterations  as  were  adopted 
at  Middletown  were  submitted  to  the  clergy  and  laity 
of  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and  New  Hampshire, 
in  convention  assembled,  and  were  substantially  agreed 
to  by  that  body.  By  its  instructions,  a  copy  of  its 
proceedings  was  forwarded  to  Dr.  White,  that  he  might 

*  The  first  consecration  of  a  church  seems  to  have  been  at  Norwalk, 
Connecticut,  July  1786,  at  which  time  nearly  400  persons  were  con- 
firmed. 

'■^  See  p.  147. 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  147 

lay  it  before  the  Convention  in  Piiiladelphia.  Bishop 
Seabury,  in  letters  addressed  to  Dr.  Smith  and  Dr. 
White,  while  expressing  most  kindly  his  good  wishes 
for  the  approaching  Convention,  took  strong  exception 
to  some  of  the  action  already  taken  at  the  gathering 
which  we  have  noticed.  Especially  did  he  protest 
against  what  he  deemed  a  circumscribing  of  a  bishop's 
power,  and  the  admission  of  lay  delegates. 

The  proceedings  of  the  first  General  Convention, 
which  had  been  summoned  to  Philadelphia,  were  anti- 
cipated with  much  interest  throughout  the  country. 
It  was  a  happy  coincidence  that  it  met  in  what  has 
been  well  named  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love.  The 
spirit  manifested  was  worthy  of  the  occasion  and  of 
the  place.  While  a  few  delegates  came  together  on 
the  preceding  evening,  the  proceedings — which  were 
held  in  Christ  Church — did  not  actually  begin  until 
the  morning  of  Michaelmas,  1785.  The  session  con- 
tinued until  the  7th  of  October.  The  membership  of 
the  Convention  consisted  of  one  clergyman  and  one 
layman  from  the  State  of  New  York,  two  clergymen 
and  one  layman  from  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  five 
clergymen  and  thirteen  laymen  from  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  one  clergyman  and  six  laymen  from 
the  State  of  Delaware,  five  clergymen  and  two  laymen 
from  the  State  of  Mar^-land,  one  clergyman  and  one 
layman  from  the  State  of  Virginia,  and  one  clergyman 
with  two  laymen  from  the  Srate  of  South  Carolina. 
It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  laymen  were  considerably 
in  the  predominance.  It  was  partly  owing  to  this  lay 
representation   that  no   delegates   were   present  from 


148      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Connecticut  and  other  portions  of  New  England. 
There  were  also  not  a  few  in  the  Middle  and  Southern 
States  that  entertained  the  same  view  as  to  what 
they  deemed  a  departure  from  apostolic  and  primitive 
principles. 

Per  contra,  Dr.  White  argued  in  favour  of  the  ad- 
mission of  the  laity,  lest,  because  of  their  absence,  the 
various  congregations  would  not  give  their  adherence 
to  what  might  be  agreed  upon  by  the  clergy  alone, 
and  so  a  breach  would  be  made  in  the  Church's  unity 
as  to  doctrine  and  discipline.^  The  matter  was  gener- 
ally and  warmly  discussed,  and  Dr.  White  more  than 
once  expressed  the  opinion  that  it  would  have  been 
impossible  on  any  other  terms  to  have  formed  a  con- 
federacy and  a  national  constitution.^  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Chandler,  of  New  Jersey,  was  willing  that  the  lait)' 
should  be  consulted  and  informed  as  to  proceedings  in 
Conventions,  but  not  that  they  should  have  any  vote. 
The  Rev.  William  West,  rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church, 
Baltimore,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  White  (July  15,  1784), 
advocated  the  giving  to  the  laity  the  right  to  approve 
or  disapprove  of  the  election  of  bishops.  In  one  of 
the   Conventions  of  Virginia,   a  la3'man  was   elected 

^  One  of  the  reasons  then  urged  in  favour  of  tlieir  admission  was, 
that  otherwise  there  would  be  no  persons  capable  of  exercising  that 
authority  which  the  20th  and  24th  Articles  of  the  Church  of  England 
consider  essentially  inherent  in  every  Church.  Some  also  quoted  the 
English  precedent  of  laymen  sitting  in  Parliament  legislating  for  the 
Church,  the  queen  or  king  assenting.  The  high  character  and  ability 
of  the  laymen  participating  in  the  early  Conventions  went  very  far  to- 
wards commending  this  feature  to  some  who  had  at  first  objected  to  it. 

-  The  laity  are  admitted  to  seats  with  votes  in  the  (jeneral  Con- 
vention and  in  Diocesan  Conventions,  and  are  members  of  the  Standing 
Committees  in  all  dioceses,  except  Connecticut,  Maryland,  and  Easton. 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  149 

and  served  as  chairman.  This  digression  may  be 
lengthened  sufficiently  to  record  Dr.  West's  judg- 
ment in  favour  of  a  division  of  States  into  so  many 
dioceses,  rather  than  into  provinces.  In  regard  to 
this,  he  said,  "  Supposing  that  the  States  multiplied 
even  into  twenty-three,  I  cannot  think  twenty-three 
bishops  too  many  for  America.  If  they  prove  worthy 
of  their  high  and  sacred  character,  the  more  of  them 
the  better."  The  time  is  not  far  distant  when  there 
will  be  a  hundred  sees. 

To  return  to  the  Convention  in  Philadelphia :  Dr. 
White  was  unanimously  chosen  President,  and  the 
Rev.  David  Griffith,  Secretary.  The  Fundamental 
Principles,  as  heretofore  proposed,  were  adopted, 
with  the  exception  that  in  regard  to  alterations  in  the 
Liturgy  it  was  agreed  that  a  committee  should  be 
appointed  to  recommend  such  changes  as  might  be 
deemed  advisable  and  "  consistent  with  the  American 
Revolution  and  the  Constitutions  of  the  respective 
States."  This  same  committee  was  instructed  to 
prepare  and  report  a  draft  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Con- 
stitution. The  business  thus  referred  was  enough  to 
occupy  the  whole  time  of  the  Convention,  except  the 
preparation  of  an  address  to  the  Archbishops  and 
Bishops  of  England,  requesting  them  to  consecrate  to 
the  Episcopate  such  persons  as  should  be  recom- 
mended to  them  by  the  constituted  authorities  of  the 
American  Church.  To  this  address  ^  no  objection 
was  raised,  although  among  the  lay  members  of  the 

'  A  very  loyal  yet  urgent  one,  written  mostly  by  Dr.  White,  who 
was  also  made  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Correspondence. 


ISO      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Convention  there  were  some  who  had  been  prominent 
in  the  recent  poHtical  discussions,  when  considerable 
opposition  to  the  idea  of  an  Episcopate  from  abroad 
was  manifested. 

The  Constitution  and  alterations  in  the  Liturgy  were 
formally  approved ;  but  were  held  in  abeyance  until 
they  should  be  considered  further  by  the  several 
States,  and  finally  adopted  in  the  ensuing  General 
Convention.  No  mention  is  made  in  the  records  of 
any  communication  from  Bishop  Seabury  (indeed,  his 
name  does  not  in  any  way  appear) ;  but  we  learn  from 
Bishop  White's  "  Memoirs,"  that  a  letter  from  the 
former  prelate,  addressed  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Smith,  was 
read  to  the  Convention,  in  which  he  discussed  several 
matters  appertaining  to  its  business. 

The  next  Convention,  held  in  Christ  Church,  Phila- 
delphia, June  20-26,  1786,  was  not  so  well  attended 
by  the  clergy  or  the  laity,  there  being  but  fourteen  of 
the  former  and  twelve  of  the  latter,  the  preponderance 
now  being  slightly  in  favour  of  the  clergy.  It  was 
presided  over  by  the  Rev.  David  Griffith,  of  Virginia, 
and  the  Hon.  Francis  Hopkinson  was  the  Secretary. 
The  proceedings  were  entered  upon  with  considerable 
anxiety,  as  during  the  interval  there  had  been  much 
discussion  on  several  "  burning  questions."  One  of 
these  referred  to  the  validity  of  Bishop  Seabury's 
consecration,  which  had  been  stoutly  denied  by  many. 
Those  who  had  been  ordained  by  him  were  forbidden 
their  pulpits  by  such  clergymen  as  Dr.  White,  and  in 
the  present  Convention  their  general  exclusion  from 
all  ministerial  rights  and  privileges  was  recommended 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  151 

by  a  resolution  adopted  on  motion  of  the  Rev.  Robert 
Smith,  of  South  Carolina.  Much  of  the  opposition 
thus  noted  was  due  to  the  violent  antipathy  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Provoost,  of  New  York,  whose  former  politi- 
cal differences  with  Seabury  appear  to  have  influenced 
him  not  a  little. 

The  action  of  the  Philadelphia  Convention  was  very 
unfavourably  received  in  New  England,  where  Bishop 
Seabury  had  already  won  his  way  to  general  respect. 
In  particular,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parker  expressed  his  great 
regret  at  the  manner  in  which  the  Bishop  had  been 
treated.  It  is  interesting  to  note  what  this  same 
clergymen  said  as  to  this  whole  question  of  the  Ameri- 
can Episcopate :  "  However  eligible  it  may  appear  to 
obtain  the  succession  from  the  English  Church,  I 
think  there  can  be  no  real  objection  to  Dr.  Seabury's 
consecration,  or  the  validity  of  orders  received  from 
him  ;  a;id  I  am  firmly  of  the  opinion  that  zve  should 
never  have  obtained  the  succession  from  England  had 
he  or  some  other  not  obtained  it  first  from  Scot- 
land.^* He  also,  expressd  the  opinion  that  jealousy 
against  the  British  nation  was  still  so  great  in  the 
North  as  to  make  the  Scotch  succession  much  more 
acceptable  to  the  people  at  large.  It  may  be  added 
that  the  absence  of  any  such  public  commotion  on  his 
consecration  as  had  been  predicted  made  the  English 
authorities  much  more  ready  to  proceed. 

The  other  "  burning  question "  before  the  General 
Convention  of  1786  was  the  revision  of  the  Prayer- 
Book.  "  The  Proposed  Book  "  had  been  thoroughly 
examined,  and  the  more  it  was  studied  the  less  were 


152      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

its  radical  alterations  approved.  Even  after  the  ad- 
journment of  the  previous  Convention,  there  v^^ere 
many  changes  made  by  the  committee  having  its 
publication  in  charge,  the  Rev.  Drs.  Smith,  Wharton, 
and  White.  They  were  mainly,  it  would  appear, 
the  work  of  Dr.  William  Smith,  of  Maryland.  The 
general  sentiment  was  against  framing  any  perma- 
nent or  authoritative  book  until  the  Church  should 
be  more  completely  organised,  and  so  its  use  was 
only  permissive,  and  all  reference  to  it  in  the  form 
of  subscription  before  ordination  was  withdrawn. 

Another  most  important  matter  was  the  considera- 
tion of  and  reply  to  the  letter  from  the  Archbishops 
and  Bishops  of  England,  in  response  "to  the  memorial 
which  had  been  addressed  to  them  by  the  preceding 
Convention.  This  memorial  had  been  transmitted  to 
Mr.  John  Adams,  the  American  Minister  at  the  Court 
of  S.  James.  Although  a  Congregationalist,  he  cheer- 
fully lent  his  influence  in  its  behalf,  personally  pre- 
senting the  document  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
and  supporting  its  statements  by  similar  assurances 
of  his  own.  In  a  letter  written  to  Bishop  White,  a 
number  of  years  afterwards,  Mr.  Adams  says,  "There 
is  no  part  of  my  life  on  which  I  look  back  and  reflect 
with  more  satisfaction  than  the  part  I  took,  bold, 
daring,  and  hazardous  as  it  was  to  myself  and  mine, 
in  the  introduction  of  Episcopacy  into  America." 

The  answer  returned  by  the  English  prelates  was 
not  such  as  some  had  anticipated,  but  loyal  Churchmen 
have  reason  to  be  thankful  for  it.  At  the  time  of 
writing,  the  proposed  alterations  in  the  Pra3^er-Book 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  153 

had  not  been  received  by  them,  although  they  had 
been  forwarded.  But,  through  private  channels,  they 
had  learned  enough  of  them  to  make  them  suspicious 
of  their  entire  orthodoxy.  "  While  we  are  anxious," 
they  said,  "  to  give  every  proof  of  not  only  our 
brotherly  affection,  but  of  our  facility  in  forwarding 
your  wishes,  we  cannot  but  be  extremely  cautious, 
lest  we  should  be  the  instruments  of  establishing  an 
ecclesiastical  system  which  will  be  called  a  branch  of 
the  Church  of  England,  but  afterwards  may  possibly 
appear  to  have  departed  from  it  essentially,  either  in 
doctrine  or  in  discipline." 

After  due  consideration  of  this  document,  another 
address  to  the  English  bench  was  adopted,  in  which, 
according  to  the  resume  by  Bishop  White,  there  was 
"  an  acknowledgment  of  their  friendly  and  affectionate 
letter,  a  declaration  of  not  intending  to  depart  from 
the  doctrines  of  the  English  Church,  and  a  determina- 
tion of  making  no  further  alterations  than  such  as 
either  arose  from  a  change  of  circumstances  or  ap- 
peared conducive  to  union,  and  a  repetition  of  the 
prayer  for  the  succession."  (See  Preface  to  the 
American  Prayer-Book,  and  subsequent  Declaration 
by  the  General  Convention,  p.  182) 

After  the  adjournment  of  this  Convention,  a  letter 
was  received  from  the  Archbishops  of  Canterbury  and 
York,  giving  the  result  of  a  conference  which  they  with 
fifteen  bishops  had  held  in  London.  At  this  confer- 
ence the  various  communications  from  America  were 
fully  considered,  with  the  proposed  Constitution  and 
alterations  in   the    Prayer-Book.     In   the   letter   it   is 


154      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

said,  "  It  was  impossible  not  to  observe  with  concern 
that  if  the  essential  doctrines  of  our  common  faith 
were  retained,  less  respect,  however,  was  paid  to  our 
Liturgy  than  its  own  excellence  and  your  declared 
attachment  to  it  had  led  us  to  expect.  Not  to  men- 
tion a  variety  of  verbal  alterations,  of  the  necessity  or 
propriety  of  which  we  are  by  no  means  satisfied,  we 
saw  with  grief  that  two  of  the  confessions  of  our 
Christian  faith, ^  respectable  for  their  antiquity,  have 
been  entirely  laid  aside ;  and  that  even  in  that  which 
is  called  the  Apostles'  Creed,  an  article  is  omitted, 
which  was  thought  necessary  to  be  inserted  with  a 
view  to  a  particular  heresy  in  a  very  early  age  of  the 
Church,  and  has  ever  since  had  the  venerable  sanction 
of  universal  reception."  The  Archbishops  then  go 
on  to  state  that,  confiding  in  the  willingness  of  the 
American  Church  to  fulfil  such  conditions  as  might  be 
exacted,  they  had  already  prepared  a  bill,  which  they 
believed  would  soon  be  passed  by  Parliament,  whereby 
authority  would  be  granted  to  the  Archbishops  and 
Bishops  to  consecrate  such  persons  from  America  as 
should  be  deemed  qualified.  The  conditions  are  next 
stated,  viz.,  that  testimonials  should  be  presented  by 
such  persons  of  their  learning  and  godly  conversation, 
and,  further,  that  the  Apostles'  Creed  should  be  restored 
to  its  integrity.  They  also  expressed  the  hope  that 
the  other  two  creeds  would  be  placed  in  the  Prayer- 
Book,  "even  though  the  use  of  them  be  left  discre- 
tional." And,  lastly,  attention  was  called  to  the 
Eighth  Article  of  the  Constitution,  as  "  a  degradation 
*  The  Nicene  and  the  Alhanasian. 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  155 

of  the  clerical,  and  still  more  of  the   Episcopal  char- 
acter." ^ 

This  last  point  had  already  been  satisfactorily 
attended  to  in  the  Philadelphia  Convention,  and  the 
others  were  acted  upon  at  a  General  Convention  held 
in  Wilmington,  Delaware,  October  lo-ii,  1786.  The 
religious  services  were  in  the  Old  Swedes'  Church,  the 
business  sessions  in  the  Academy  Hall.  Of  this  Con- 
vention it  is  well  said  by  the  Bishop  of  lowa,^  "  Never 
in  the  history  of  the  American  Church  were  more 
momentous  matters  disposed  of  than  those  which  in 
October  1786  were  decided  by  the  votes  of  a  score  of 
clergymen  and  laymen  in  the  brief  space  of  two  days." 
The  attendance  was  indeed  small  compared  with  the 
importance  of  the  subjects  to  be  discussed.  From 
New  York  there  were  present  one  clergyman  and  two 
laymen ;  from  New  Jersey,  two  clergymen  and  three 
laymen  ;  from  Delaware,  two  clergymen  and  two  lay- 
men ;  from  Pennsylvania,  three  clergymen  and  three 
laymen ;  from  South  Carolina,  one  clergyman  and  one 
layman ;  from  Maryland,  one  clergyman :  both  orders 
being  about  equal  in  number.  Dr.  Provoost  was 
chosen  Chairman,  and  the  Hon.  Francis  Hopkinson, 
Secretary.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  consider  the 
various  documents  from  England,  and  sat  up  all  night 
discussing  them.  Their  report  was  in  favour  of  re- 
storing the  Apostles'  Creed  to  its  integrity,  and  the 

*  The  denial  to  the  Episcopate  of  its  rightful  prerogatives  was  due  to 
the  strenuous  opposition  to  them  on  the  part  of  the  laymen.  The  clergy, 
with  but  a  single  exception,  voted  against  the  degrading  regulations. 

*  In  his  article  on  the  Centennial  General  Convention  in  the  /wat- 
fetuienty  October  10,  18S9. 


156      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Nicene  Creed  to  the  Prayer-Book.  On  the  question 
of  restoring  the  words,  "  He  descended  into  hell,"  the 
votes  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Delaware  were 
divided.  New  Jersey  voted  "  Aye  "  (only  one  delegate, 
a  layman,  dissenting),  as  did  South  Carolina.  So  the 
resolution  was  adopted,  owing  to  the  nullity  of  the 
divided  votes.  In  the  thirteen  "  Ayes  "  were  included 
eight  clergymen  and  five  laymen.  In  the  seven 
"  Noes  "  were  one  clergyman  (Dr.  Wharton)  and  six 
laymen. 

The  Nicene  Creed  was  restored  unanimously.  On 
the  question  of  admitting  the  Athanasian  Creed,  New 
York,  Pennsylvania,  and  South  Carolina  voted  "  No  " 
unanimously  ;  New  Jersey  and  Delaware  were  divided, 
two  laymen  in  the  former  diocese  and  one  clergyman 
(Mr.  Thorne)  voting  "Aye."  In  all,  there  were  eight 
clergymen  and  nine  laymen  in  the  negative,  and  only 
one  clergyman  and  two  laymen  in  the  affirmative.  It 
would  appear  that  while  some  of  the  delegates  were 
opposed  to  this  Creed  being  so  far  restored  to  the 
Prayer-Book  as  to  require  its  public  recital,  they  were 
quite  ready  to  vote  in  favour  of  its  being  mentioned 
somewhere  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  that  the  American 
Church  assented  to  the  truths  which  it  contained.  This 
action  of  the  Wilmington  Convention  was  equivalent 
to  a  death-blow  to  the  proposed  book.  It  had  never 
been  generally  used — in  Connecticut,  not  at  all — and 
thenceforth  it  was  laid  aside  permanently. 

In  all  these  votes  Dr.  Smith,  the  only  representative 
from  Maryland,  was  disfranchised,  on  the  ground  that 
it  would  be  inconsistent  with  the  fundamental  articles . 


TRANSITION  PERIOD  157 

for  a  State  to  be  represented  by  a  clerical  or  lay 
deputy  only.  An  even  still  more  adverse  vote  awaited 
him,  for  when  the  several  States  were  called  upon  to 
name  such  persons  as  had  been  elected  and  recom- 
mended for  episcopal  consecration,  and  Dr.  Smith's 
name  was  thus  presented  (he  had  been  chosen  in 
1783),  his  testimonials  were  rejected  on  the  ground  of 
his  intemperance.  There  is  no  record  of  such  action 
in  the  published  minutes,  but  the  fact  is  brought  out 
clearly  in  the  correspondence  of  that  period.  It  is 
but  just  to  add  that  Dr.  Smith  strenuously  denied 
the  charges  made  against  him.  His  eminent  abilities 
were  at  no  time  questioned.  The  testimonials  of  Dr. 
Provoost  of  New  York,  of  Dr.  White  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  of  Dr.  Griffith  of  Virginia  were  all  signed  by  the 
entire  Convention. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  CHURCH  FULLY  ORGANISED 

Consecration  of  Bishops  White  and  Provoost — Their  return  to  America 
— Proportionate  representation — The  Rev.  Dr.  Griffith  and  his 
deferred  consecration  —  Consecration  of  Bishop  Madison— The 
General  Convention  of  1789— Bishop  Seabury's  consecration  de- 
clared valid — Revision  of  the  Constitution,  and  adoption  of  Canons 
— Revision  of  the  Prayer-Book — The  Athanasian  Creed — The 
Communion  Office — Consecration  of  Bishop  Claggett — The  priority 
in  America  of  the  Anglican  Episcopate — Archbishop  Carroll  and 
his  consecration. 

With  the  adjournment  of  the  Convention  at  Wilming- 
ton, the  American  Church  may  be  said  to  have  safely 
passed  its  preliminary  stages  of  organisation.  There 
was  still  lacking,  it  is  true,  the  complement  of  bishops 
requisite  for  its  autonomy,  but  this  was  only  a  matter 
of  brief  delay,  inasmuch  as  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
obtaining  it  were  already  partially  removed. 

As  soon  as  possible,  Drs.  Provoost  and  White  set 
sail  for  England,  where  they  arrived  on  November  21, 
after  a  voyage  of  nineteen  days.  Dr.  Griffith  was  to 
have  accompanied  them,  but  owing  to  some  delay  as 
to  his  testimonials,  and  also  to  the  want  of  funds  to 
defray  the  necessary  expenses,  he  remained  in  Virginia.^ 
On  their  reaching  London,  they  were  very  cordially 
received  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  ^  and  others. 

'  See  p.  161.  2  The  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Moore. 

158 


THE  CHURCH  FULLY  ORGANISED  159 

At  court  the  King  was  also  very  gracious  to  them, 
and  in  due  time  all  the  requisite  preparations  were 
made  for  their  consecration.  This  most  interesting 
event  took  place  on  Sunday,  February  4,  1787,  in 
the  Chapel  at  Lambeth  Palace.  The  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury  was  assisted  by  the  Archbishop  of  York,i 
and  by  the  Bishops  of  Bath  and  Wells  ^  and  of  Peter- 
borough.^ The  sermon  was  preached  by  one  of  the 
Archiepiscopal  chaplains,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Drake.  There 
were  but  few  persons  present  outside  of  the  family  and 
household  of  the  Archbishop.  Among  them  was  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Duche,  formerly  of  Philadelphia.  Bishop 
White  was  consecrated  first. 

On  the  following  evening  they  left  London  on  their 
return  journey;  but,  owing  to  contrary  winds,  it  was 
not  until  the  1 8th  of  February  that  they  sailed  from 
Falmouth.  They  landed  in  New  York  on  the  after- 
noon of  Easter-Day,  April  7.  Immediately,  Bishop 
Seabury  addressed  to  each  of  them  a  most  cordial 
letter  of  congratulation,  in  which  he  also  invited  them 
to  a  conference  on  ecclesiastical  affairs.  No  one  was 
more  anxious  than  himself  to  avoid  anything  like  a 
schism,  but,  left  to  themselves,  as  they  had  been  by 
the  Southern  dioceses,  he  and  his  clergy  had  already 
proceeded  to  the  election  of  a  Connecticut  priest,  the 
Rev.  Abraham  Jarvis,  who  should  go  to  Scotland 
for    consecration     as    coadjutor -bishop.'*      He    was, 

»  The  Most  Rev.  Dr.  Markham. 
'''  The  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Moss. 
»  The  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Hinchclifle. 

*  Learning  had  first  been  elected,  and  then  Mansfield,  but  both  were 
constrained  to  decline. 


i6o      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

however,  well  advised  in  not  hastily  going  abroad.  The 
Scotch  bishops  intimated  their  readiness  to  consecrate 
him,  in  the  event  of  a  refusal  on  the  part  of  Bishops 
Provoost  and  White  to  hold  communion  with  Bishop 
Seabury ;  but  they  expressed  their  belief  that  no  such 
contingency  would  arise. 

Bishop  Seabury  had  published  a  second  charge  to 
the  clergy  of  the  diocese  at  Derb}',  September  1786, 
in  which  he  had  spoken  sternly  in  rebuke  of  some  of 
the  actions  of  the  Conventions  held  in  the  Middle  (or, 
as  they  were  then  called,  Southern)  States,  particu- 
larly with  reference  to  the  alterations  in  the  Prayer- 
Book  and  the  degradation  of  the  Episcopate.  And 
yet,  as  already  stated,  he  was  very  anxious  for  a  con- 
federation of  all  the  dioceses.  But,  as  he  expressed 
himself,  it  must  be  "  on  even  terms,  and  not  as 
underlings " — referring  to  the  objections  still  made 
by  Bishop  Provoost  and  others  against  the  validity 
of  his  own  consecration.^  He  also  insisted  that,  so 
far  at  least  as  Connecticut  was  concerned,  the  laity 
should  not  have  an  equal  voice  in  the  councils  of  the 
Church.^ 

The  same  question  of  proportionate  representation. 


^  It  seems  strange  now  that  there  should  have  been  as  much  hesitancy 
to  acknowledge  the  fact  that  the  Scotch  Church  was  identical  in  polity 
and  authority  with  the  English.  It  can  be  chiefly  accounted  for  only 
on  the  ground  of  political  prejudices,  arising  both  from  the  fidelity  of 
the  Scotch  bishops  to  the  liouse  of  Stuart  and  from  Seabury's  Toryism. 

'■'  As  already  noted,  the  laity  are  still  excluded  in  the  diocese  of  Con- 
necticut from  the  Standing  Committee.  Dr.  Inglis  advanced  the  idea 
that  it  might  be  well  for  bishops  to  be  elected  by  the  clergy,  subject  to 
the  approval  of  the  Governors  of  the  several  States.  He  was  opposed 
to  the  laity  sitting  in  Conventions  with  the  clergy. 


TfIB  CHURCH  FULLY  ORGANISED  i6r 

which  has  been  under  discussion  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  present  century  was  earnestly  considered 
at  the  time  of  the  original  adoption  of  the  Church's 
constitution.  Bishop  White  was  not  in  favour  of  an 
equal  vote  being  allowed  to  every  diocese.  Although 
he  was  in  the  minority,  he  continued  to  hold  his  views, 
to  which  he  gave  expression  anew  in  a  paper  drawn 
up  by  him  shortly  before  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Convention  of  1829.  One  of  the  leading  arguments 
used  by  those  who  favoured  an  equality  of  representa- 
tion was  that  the  same  feature  was  to  be  found  in  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States.  Certain  it  is  that 
by  its  incorporation  into  the  ecclesiastical  instrument, 
the  various  dioceses  were  all  the  more  moved  to  effect 
the  primary  confederation.  It  would,  therefore,  seem 
to  have  the  weight  of  a  fundamental  principle. 

There  was  correspondence  at  intervals  between 
prominent  clergymen  as  to  the  deferred  consecration 
of  Dr.  Griffith.  On  the  one  hand,  it  was  contended 
that  there  were  now  three  bishops  validly  consecrated, 
who  might  proceed  with  the  business.  On  the  other 
hand.  Bishop  White  was  of  the  opinion  that  he  and 
Bishop  Provoost  were  under  at  least  an  implied  pledge 
to  the  English  bishops  not  to  consecrate  any  others 
until  there  were  three  of  the  English  succession.  In 
the  meantime,  Virginia  failed  to  raise  the  necessary 
funds  for  Dr.  Griffith's  voyage. 

After  a  discussion  of  the  proposition  to  have  the 
three  bishops  consecrate  him,  the  diocese  decided  it 
to  be  impracticable,  and  the  Standing  Committee, 
under  instructions,  requested    Bishops   Provoost  and 


1 62      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

White,  or  either  of  them,  to  consecrate  him.  This 
they  at  once  refused  to  do.  It  was  the  behef  of  Dr. 
Griffith  himself,  and  of  others,  that  the  diocese  at  heart 
was  quite  indifferent,  if  not  indeed  hostile,  to  the  whole 
matter.^ 

There  was,  it  may  be,  a  providential  ordering  in  all 
this  delay;  for  if  the  necessity  for  three  English 
consecrated  bishops  had  been  insisted  upon  to  the 
very  end  before  any  other  American  bishop  could  have 
been  made — thus  publicly  and  formally  repudiating 
the  authority  of  Bishop  Seabury — there  is  room  for 
believing  that  a  schism  would  have  been  forced  upon 
the  infant  Church,  inasmuch  as  the  New  England 
dioceses  were  determined  that  his  authority  should  be 
fully  conceded.  It  is  true  that  a  third  bishop  (Madison, 
of  Virginia)  was  consecrated  in  England,^  but  this  was 
not  until  after  the  validity  of  Seabury's  consecration 
had  been  explicitly  recognised  by  the  General  Conven- 
tion. By  this  double  action,  the  scruples  of  all  were 
happily  satisfied,  and  all  serious  trouble  averted. 

By  the  time  the  General  Convention  met  in  1789, 
Churchmen  in  all  sections  of  the  country  would  seem 
to  have  concluded  that  by  some  means  the  various 
dioceses  must  be  united,  and  all  cause  for  contention 
and  distrust  be  removed.  It  assembled  in  Philadelphia 
on  the  2Sth  of  July,  and  was  attended  by  eighteen 
clerical   and    sixteen    lay    representatives,    from   the 


^  At  length,  wearied  and  disheartened  by  the  manner  in  which  he 
had  been  treated,  he  declined  to  be  considered  any  longer  a  bishop- 
elect.     He  died  while  attending  the  General  Convention  of  17S9. 

^  See  p.  169,  ^ 


THE  CHURCH  FULLY  ORGANISED  163 

dioceses  of  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania, 
Delaware,  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  South  Carolina. 
Bishop  White  presided.  Happily  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  plans  for  union.  Bishop  Provoost  was 
absent.  Its  proceedings  were  most  important,  and 
the  unanimity  with  which  they  were  conducted  was 
full  of  encouragement  for  the  future.  Early  in  the 
session,  "an  act  of  the  clergy  of  Massachusetts  and 
New  Hampshire,  recommending  the  Rev.  Edward  Bass 
for  consecration,"  and  requesting  "  the  Bishops  in  the 
States  of  Connecticut,  New  York,  and  Pennsylvania  to 
unite  in  canonically  investing  him  with  the  apostolic 
office  and  powers,"  was  presented  to  the  Convention 
by  the  President.  Before  any  action  was  taken  on 
this  memorial,  the  following  resolution  was  unani- 
mously adopted :  "  Resolved,  that  it  is  the  opinion  of 
this  Convention  that  the  consecration  of  the  Right 
Rev.  Dr.  Seabury  to  the  episcopal  office  is  valid."  At 
an  earlier  stage  of  the  session,  some  delegates  ordained 
by  him  had  been  admitted  to  seats  without  question. 
After  a  week's  consideration  of  the  whole  subject,  the 
Convention  unanimously  reaffirmed  this  resolution  in 
recognising  the  existence  within  the  United  States  of 
"  a  complete  Order  of  Bishops,  derived  as  well  under 
the  English  as  the  Scots'  line  of  Episcopacy."  These 
three  bishops  were  also  unanimously  requested  to  take 
order  for  the  consecration  of  Mr.  Bass,  with  the  under- 
standing that  before  they  in  this  way  complied  with 
the  request  of  the  clergy  of  New  England,  the  churches 
there  should,  with  the  three  bishops,  meet  the  churches 
of  the  other  States  in  an  adjourned  convention. 


1 64      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Bishop  White  had,  out  of  his  large-heartedness  and 
■great  desire  for  unity,  assented  to  this  proposed  con- 
secration. But  he  still  felt  that  there  had  been  an 
implied  promise  to  the  English  bishops  not  to  proceed 
to  any  consecration  until  three  of  their  line  had  been 
duly  set  apart.  To  meet  his  scruples  and  those  of 
others  who  thought  with  him,  the  Convention  for- 
warded an  address  to  the  Archbishop  and  Bishops, 
requesting  their  approval  of  what  they  had  thus  felt 
constrained  to  do. 

The  Constitution  adopted  in  1784  was  now  revised, 
the  main  alteration  being  a  division  of  the  Convention 
into  two  Houses,  as  now  existing.  Further  considera- 
tion of  its  provisions  was  postponed  until  the  other 
States  should  be  represented.  A  body  of  Canons, 
numbering  ten  in  all,  was  also  adopted.  Before  ad- 
journing, a  loyal  address  to  President  Washington 
was  framed,  congratulating  him  upon  his  election,  to 
which  he  made  a  very  gracious  reply.^ 

The  Convention  reassembled  on  Michaelmas  Da}'', 
in  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia,  and  did  not  finish 
its  work  until  October  15.  After  the  third  day,  its 
business  sessions  were  held,  by  permission  of  the 
President  of  the  State,  in  the  State  House,  and  sub- 
sequently, when  this  was  required  for  public  use,  in 
the  College  of  Philadelphia.  The  presence  of  Bishop 
Seabury,  and  of  delegates  from  Connecticut  and  from 


^  It  was  the  custom  in  New  York  and  New  Jersey — perhaps  in  other 
States — for  the  ecclesiastical  authority  to  send  similar  addresses  to  the 
Governors  of  the  States,  on  their  appointment  or  election.  Cordial  and 
appreciative  replies  were  uniformly  returned. 


THE  CHURCH  FULLY  ORGANISED  165 

the  combined  dioceses  of  Massachusetts  ^  and  New 
Hampshire,  was  the  cause  of  much  rejoicing.  Before, 
however,  they  took  their  seats,  they  had  what  is  de- 
scribed in  the  Journal  as  "a.  full,  free,  and  friendly 
conference "  with  the  other  deputies,  in  which  they 
asked  that  the  Constituton  should  be  so  modified  as  to 
declare  explicitly  the  right  of  the  Bishops,  when  sitting 
in  a  separate  House,  to  originate  legislation,  and  also 
to  negative  such  acts  of  the  other  House  as  they  might 
disapprove,  **  unless  such  acts  shall  be  adhered  to  by 
four-fifths  of  the  other  House."  ^  Their  request,  after 
some  debate,  was  granted,  whereupon  they  gave,  as 
the  other  deputies  had  already  done,  their  formal 
assent  to  the  Constitution,  and  were  admitted  as  mem- 
bers of  the  Convention. 

On  the  following  day,  the  bishops  sat  as  a  separate 
House  (under  the  presidency  of  the  Bishop  of  Con- 
necticut, because  of  seniority  of  consecration),  and 
the  Rev.  William  Smith,  D.D.,  Provost  of  the  College 
of  Philadelphia,  was  chosen  President  of  the  House  of 
Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies.  From  that  time  on  to  the 
close  of  the  session,  the  Convention's  attention  was 
given  almost  exclusively  to  the  task  of  revising  the 
Prayer-Book.  The  English  book,  and  not  the  pro- 
posed book,  was  practically  the  basis  of  this  revision, 


1  These  were  the  Rev.  Abraham  Jarvis  and  the  Rev.  Bela  Hubbard 
from  Connecticut,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Parker  :  all  clergymen,  it 
being,  as  already  noted,  against  the  avowed  sentiments  of  this  section  of 
the  country  to  send  any  laymen. 

^  This  proviso  as  to  adherence  by  four-fifths  of  the  other  House  was 
stricken  out  in  1808.  Thus  it  was  owing  chiefly  to  Bishop  Seabury 
that  the  episcopal  veto  was  secured. 


t66      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

and  the  various  parts  were  very  carefully  considered 
by  the  several  committees  to  whom  they  were  assigned 
for  this  purpose.  In  alluding  to  this  work,  Bishop 
White  says,  "The  Journal  shows  that  some  parts  of 
it  were  drawn  up  by  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay 
Deputies  and  other  parts  of  it  by  the  House  of  Bishops. 
.  .  .  To  this  day,  there  are  recollected  with  satisfac- 
tion the  hours  which  were  spent  with  Bishop  Seabury 
on  the  important  subjects  which  came  before  them ; 
and  especially  the  Christian  temper  which  he  mani- 
fested all  along."  1  In  reference  to  the  Athanasian 
Creed,  he  makes  this  record :  "  The  author  consented 
to  the  proposal  of  Bishop  Seabury  of  making  it  an 
amendment  to  the  draft  sent  by  the  other  House,  to 
be  inserted  with  a  rubric  permitting  the  use  of  it. 
This,  however,  was  declared  to  be  on  the  principle 
of  accommodation  to  the  many  who  were  reported 
to  desire  it,  especially  in  Connecticut,  where,  it  was 
said,  the  omission  of  it  would  hazard  the  recep- 
tion of  the  book.  It  was  the  author's  intention  never 
to  read  the  Creed  himself,  and  he  declared  his 
mind  to  this  effect.  Bishop  Seabury,  on  the  contrary, 
thought  that  without  it  there  would  be  a  difficulty 
in  keeping  out  of  the  Church  the  errors  to  which  it 
stands  opposed." 

^  The  revision  of  the  Prayer-Book  was  at  all  times  conducted  with 
great  care  and  deliberation.  Dr.  Smith  particularly  requested  Dr. 
White  to  preserve  the  correspondence  on  this  subject,  that  future 
generations  might  know  what  conscientious  work  had  been  bestowed 
upon  this  enterprise.  Benjamin  Franklin,  at  the  instance  of  Sir  Francis 
Dashwood,  Bart.,  undertook  especially  the  revision  of  the  Catechism, 
which  he  would  have  abbreviated  to  contain  only  our  duty  to  God  and 
to  our  neij^hbour. 


TFIE  CHURCH  FULLY  ORGANISED  167 

The  Lower  House,  however,  rejected  the  amend- 
ment; and  when  a  eonference  was  held  on  the  subject, 
its  members  could  not  be  induced  to  allow  it  any 
place  in  the  book,  "  which,"  Bishop  White  adds, 
"was  thought  intolerant  by  the  gentlemen  from  New 
England,  who,  with  Bishop  Seabury,  gave  it  up  with 
great  reluctance." 

These  gentlemen  were  more  fortunate  in  regard  to 
the  Communion  Office.  It  has  already  been  noted, 
that  Bishop  Seabur}',  prior  to  his  consecration,  had 
promised  to  do  what  he  could  to  bring  the  American 
Liturgy  into  agreement  with  the  Scotch,  by  restoring 
to  the  Consecration  Prayer  the  Oblation  and  the 
Invocation.  It  was  so  used  in  Connecticut,  and  by 
Bishop  Seabury's  efforts  it  was  so  ordered  in  the 
Prayer-Book  as  adopted  in  1789.  Bishop  White  says 
that  there  was  but  little  opposition  to  the  amendment 
thus  made.  As  to  Bishop  Seabury,  he  says  that  it  lay 
very  near  to  his  heart :  as  to  himself,  that  while  he  did 
not  conceive  that  the  service  as  it  stood  was  essen- 
tially defective,  he  had  always  thought  "there  was  a 
beauty  in  those  ancient  forms,  and  could  discover  no 
superstition  in  them."  ^  The  adoption  of  the  Thirty- 
nine  Articles  of  Religion  of  the  Church  of  England, 
excepting   the  Thirty-sixth    and    Thirty-seventh,  was 

^  During  the  session  of  the  Convention,  Bishop  Seabury  was  invited 
by  Bishop  White  to  celebrate  the  Holy  Communion,  which  he  declined 
to  do.  Upon  being  asked  a  second  time,  he  again  declined,  saying, 
"  To  confess  the  truth,  I  hardly  consider  the  form  to  be  used  as  strictly 
amounting  to  a  consecration."  This,  of  course,  was  not  the  Scotch 
form,  to  which  he  was  now  accustomed.  In  this  instance,  he  went 
further  in  expressing  an  opinion  of  the  English  Office  than  he  gener- 
ally did. 


i68       HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

proposed,  but  the  matter  went  over  to  the  next  Con- 
vention.^ 

Surprise  is  oftentimes  expressed  at  the  introduction 
of  the  Litany  after  the  prayer  for  the  President,  in- 
stead of  before  it,  as  would  have  been  the  case  had  the 
analogy  of  the  English  book  been  observed.  It  would 
seem  to  have  been  so  ordered,  not  upon  the  authority 
of  the  Convention — indeed,  when  Bishop  Seabury's 
attention  was  called  to  this  arrangement,  he  was  much 
surprised  and  displeased — but  upon  the  motion  of  Dr. 
Smith,  who  was  chiefly  in  charge  of  printing  the  book. 
As  a  justification  of  the  change,  he  said  that,  as  Presi- 
dent Washington  never  attended  church  except  in  the 
morning,  this  would  be  the  only  way  in  which  he  would 
himself  hear  the  prayer.  It  has  also  been  thought 
that  his  pastor,  Bishop  White,  was  not  averse,  on 
account  of  this  fact,  to  the  alteration.^ 

While  the  changes  wrought  in  the  Prayer-Book — 
chiefly  in  the  direction  of  its  adaptation  to  the  new 
form  of  government  and  of  the  alteration  of  archaic 
phrases — were  in  the  nature  of  a  compromise  between 
the  various  schools  of  Churchmen,  it  required  more 
argument  in  New  England  than  elsewhere  to  obtain 
for  them  universal  acceptance.  Into  this  work  the 
Bishop  of  Connecticut  entered  heartily  upon  his  return 

'  Alluding  to  this  Convention,  tlie  present  Bishop  of  Connecticut 
(the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Williams)  says,  "  For  the  results  of  that  memor- 
able Convention  in  which  so  much  was  gained — may  we  not  say  so 
little  lost  ? — we  are  mainly  indebted,  under  the  overruling  wisdom  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  to  the  steadfast  gentleness  of  Bishop  White  and  the  gentle 
steadfastness  of  Bishop  Seabury." — Seabiity  Centenary,  Connectieut, 
p.  ic8. 

'  See  Beardsley's  Life  of  Bishop  Seabury,  pp.  370  iqq. 


THE  CHURCH  FULLY  ORGANISED  169 

from  the  Convention.  With  but  few  exceptions,  tlie 
clergy  and  people  acquiesced,  and  all  now  began  to 
feel  that  the  National  Church  was  fairly  launched  upon 
her  independent  course.  This  conviction  was  all  the 
more  confirmed  in  the  minds  of  some  when,  in  the 
autumn  of  the  following  year  (September  19,  1790), 
the  Rev.  James  Madison,  D.D.,^  President  of  William 
and  Mary  College,  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Virginia, 
in  Lambeth  Palace,  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
assisted  by  the  Bishops  of  London  and  Rochester.  In 
this  transaction  there  was  a  happy  settlement  of  the 
question  raised  by  such  as  insisted  upon  having  three 
bishops  in  the  line  of  English  succession. 

All  future  controversy  as  to  the  comparative  value 
of  these  two  lines  of  succession  would  seem  to  have 
been  precluded  by  the  joint-consecration  of  the  Rev. 
Thomas  John  Claggett,  D.D.,  as  Bishop  of  Maryland. 
This  occurred  during  the  session  of  the  General  Con- 
vention in  New  York,  September  17,  1792.  The  re- 
quest for  his  consecration  had  been  made  of  the  whole 
House  of  Bishops   by  the   deputies   from   Maryland, 


^  Bishop  Madison  came  of  a  prominent  family,  and  himself  graduated 
from  college  with  distinction.  He  very  largely  contributed  to  the  re- 
putation of  the  college,  and  also  served  efficiently  the  cause  of  higher 
education  in  general.  One  of  his  pupils,  afterwards  President  of  the 
United  States,  John  Tyler,  describes  him  as  "eminently  eloquent," 
and  as  having  had  a  voice  to  which  he  had  never  heard  any  equal  in 
its  silvery  and  deep  tones.  He  found  a  great  deal  to  discourage  him 
in  the  enfeebled  condition  of  the  Church  throughout  the  diocese. 
Among  the  young  men  especially,  there  was  much  scepticism  and 
unbelief.  He  laboured  wiih  fidelity,  but  his  infirm  health  and  advancing 
age  precluded  him  from  doing  fully  what  was  in  his  heart  and  mind. 
It  was  in  despondency  as  to  the  future  that  he  went  to  his  rest  in  the 
spring  of  1812. 


lyo      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

but  Bishop  Seabury  was  under  the  impression  that 
there  was  on  the  part  of  Bishops  Provoost  and' Madi- 
son an  intention  to  exclude  him  from  participating 
in  the  approaching  service.  In  an  interview  with 
Bishop  White,  he  confided  to  him  his  suspicions  on 
this  score,  and  warned  him  of  the  consequences  of 
such  an  ignoring  of  his  rights  and  privileges.  The 
Bishop  of  Pennsylvania  assured  him  that  if  such  an 
intention  did  exist,  as  to  which  he  was  quite  incredu- 
lous, he  himself  would  have  no  hand  in  carrying  it  out. 
No  obstacle  was  presented,  and  accordingly  the  four 
bishops  united  in  the  solemn  act.  Thus  the  first 
episcopal  consecration  in  America  witnessed  the  happy 
fusion  of  the  two  sources  of  orders  which  have  ever 
since  entered  into  the  constitution  of  the  American 
ministry.^ 

It  may  not  be  amiss,  before  leaving  this  part  of  the 
Church's  early  history,  involving  as  it  does  the  ques- 
tion of  the  Historic  Episcopate,  to  note  that  her 
claims  to  priority,  as  based  upon  the  possession  of 
this  Episcopate,  are  beyond  all  controversy.  The 
Roman  Catholic  Church  dates  its  formal  beginning  in 
America  (in  its  own  language,  "  the  setting  up  of  the 
Hierarchy")  from  1789,  the  establishment  of  its 
diocese  of  Baltimore.  Its  first  bishop  is  of  tlie  year 
1790.      But  the  Anglican   diocese   of  Maryland  was 

^  It  took,  however,  a  long  time  for  the  early  prejudices  against  Bishop 
Seabury  to  disappear  from  some  parts  of  the  country.  The  author  re- 
members, as  late  as  1845,  tlie  indignation  with  which  his  father,  then 
rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Philadeljihia,  was  accustomed  to  correct 
those  who  still  spoke  of  Bishop  White  as  the  ^rsi  bishop  of  the 
American  Church. 


THE  CHURCH  FULLY  ORGANISED  171 

organised  in  1783;  and  before  the  first  Roman  bishop 
(John  Carroll)  arrived,  there  were  no  less  than  three 
bishops  of  the  American  Church  at  work  in  their 
several  dioceses.^  These  facts  will  alwa^-s  furnish  a 
ready  answer  to  questions  concerning  ecclesiastical 
intrusion  in  America.  It  is  very  easy  to  know  with 
whom  the  guilt  of  schism  lies. 

And  further,  as  Palmer,  in  his  "  Treatise  on  the 
Church,"  2  points  out,  there  are  serious  difficulties 
affecting,  not  only  the  regularity,  but  even  the  validity 
of  the  consecration  of  the  Roman  bishop  already  re- 
ferred to,  inasmuch  as  his  consecration  was  the  act 
(authorised  by  a  Papal  bull)  of  a  single  bishop  in 
England,^  who  was  but  a  titular  bishop,  and  had  him- 
self been  set  apart  in  a  similarly  irregular  way.  The 
orders  of  the  early  Roman  clergy  in  America  cannot, 
therefore,  be  compared  in  any  way  favourably  with 
those  of  the  Anglican  clergy.  The  public  manner  in 
which  the  Seabury  Centenary  was  celebrated,  both  in 
Great  Britain  and  in  America,  forms  a  striking  con- 
trast to  the  quiet  way  in  which  the  centenary  of 
Carroll's  consecration  was  passed  over  in  1890. 

*  See  Bishop   Paret's   Charg;e,    "Our   Freedom   and   our   Catholic 
Heritage,"  p.  19. 

*  Vol.  i.  p.  305,  note. 

3  The  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Walmesley,  titular  Bishop  of  Rama. 


CHAPTER  IX 
QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  AND  RIGHTS 

Overtures  to  the  Church  from  the  High  German  Church  and  from  the 
Lutherans — From  Dr.  Coke — ^John  and  Charles  Wesley,  and  their 
relations  to  Methodism  and  Episcopacy — Bishop  Madison's  pro- 
posal for  Christian  unity — The  identity  of  the  American  Church 
with  the  Church  of  England — Dissolution  of  formal  ties  with  the 
State — Attempts  to  dispossess  the  Church  of  her  property — The 
name  of  the  Church— Domestic  missions — The  General  Conven- 
tions of  1792  and  1795 — ^The  Rev.  Drs.  Peters  and  Bass — South 
Carolina's  attitude — The  Rev.  Dr.  Purcell  and  duelling  — Death 
of  Bishop  Seabury — His  character  and  services — His  clerical 
descendants — Bishop  Bass — The  General  Convention  of  1799 — 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Ogden — The  Weathersfield  Conference. 

Churchmen  were  not  the  only  ones  in  America  that 
were  desirous  of  the  Episcopate.  We  have  already 
recorded  the  convictions  of  the  Virginia  Baptists  on 
this  score.  In  October  1764,  the  representatives  of 
"  the  High  German  Church,  called  St.  George's 
Church,  in  the  City  of  Philadelphia,"  petitioned  the 
Bishop  of  London  to  receive  their  congregation  under 
his  episcopal  care,  and  to  ordain  their  minister, 
promising  that  they  would  not  thereafter  accept  the 
ministrations  of  any  one  who  had  not  been  ordained 
and  licensed  by  that  bishop,  or  by  some  other  who 
might  have  jurisdiction  in  that  part  of  America. 
Nothing  seems  to  have  come  out  of  this  proposition. 
In  1797  the  Lutheran  ministers  of  New  York  made  a 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     173 

similar  proposition  to  the  Convention  of  that  diocese, 
but  unhappily  the  matter  was  allowed  to  rest  until  it 
was  too  late. 

Another  one  of  greater  import  came  from  Dr.  Coke 
to  the  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania,  in  a  confidential  letter, 
under  date  of  April  24,  1791.  In  this  communication. 
Dr.  Coke  reminds  the  Bishop  that  he  had  been  ordained 
to  the  priesthood  in  the  Church  of  England,  but  had 
also  received  a  commission  from  John  Wesley.  "  He 
did,"  writes  Dr.  Coke,  "  indeed  solemnly  invest  me, 
so  far  as  he  had  a  right  to  do  so,  with  Episcopal 
authority,^  but  did  not  intend,  I  think,  that  an  entire 
separation  should  take  place.  .  .  .  He  went  further, 
I  am  sure,  than  he  would  have  gone  if  he  could  have 
foreseen  some  events  which  followed.  And  this  I 
am  certain  of — that  he  is  now  sorry  for  the  separation." 
He  then  expresses  an  earnest  wish  for  reunion,  towards 
which  he  thinks  Mr.  Wesley  would  use  his  influence 
to  the  utmost.  This  reunion  might,  he  suggests,  be 
brought  about  by  re-ordaining  those  who  were  already 
accounted  ministers,  a  course  to  which  he  believes  but 
few  of  them  would  object.  Bishop  White  answered, 
as  he  himself  states,  "  with  the  reserve  which  seemed 
incumbent  on  one  who  was  incompetent  to  decide  with 
effect  on  the  proposal  made."  The  reply  was,  however, 
couched  in  terms  most  charitable  and  conciliatory. 

Dr.  Coke  subsequently  had  several  interviews  with 
the  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania,  in  one  of  which  he  read  a 
letter  that  he  had  written  to  the  Bishop  of  Connecticut, 

^  Coke  had  in  a  letter  asked  Wesley  to  make  him  a  bishop,  which 
he  absolutely  declined  to  do. 


174      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

proposing  that  both  he  and  Mr,  Asbury  should  be  con- 
secrated by  the  Bishop.^  There  is  no  record  .of  any 
reply  having  been  returned  by  him  to  this  request.^ 
He  had  at  one  time  declared  himself  ready  to  ordain 
any  Methodist  preacher  whom  he  should  find  duly 
qualified.  (See  below,  in  quotation  from  Charles 
Wesley's  letter.)  This  Mr.  Asbury  had  been,  at  his 
own  request,  "  consecrated "  by  Dr.  Coke  and  Mr. 
Otterbine,  a  German  minister.  The  original  imposition 
of  hands  by  Wesley  on  Coke  had  taken  place  secretly, 
in  the  former's  bed-chamber  (he  was  then  eighty-two 
years  old,  and  feeble),  in  Bristol,  England.  Soon  after- 
wards, Charles  Wesley,  who  had  not  been  aware  of 
this  ceremony,  and  heartily  disapproved  of  it,^  wrote 
the  well-known  epigram  :  — 

"  So  easily  are  bishops  made 

By  man's  or  woman's  whim  ; 
Wesley  his  hands  on  Coke  hath  laid, 
But  who  laid  hands  on  /i/m .?" 

This  witty  sally  contained  the  pith  of  the  whole 
matter,  and  the  crucial  defect  in  the  procedure  soon 
became  apparent,  even  to  John  Wesley's  mind.  At 
first,  the  name  which  Coke  and  Asbury  assumed  was, 
according  to  Wesley's  directions.  Superintendent.  At 
length,  they  took  that  of  Bishop,  whose  functions  they 

'  Dr.  Whitehead,  Wesley's  friend  and  biographer,  spoke  of  the  act 
as  "amazing  and  confounding  to  the  uninfected  itinerants." — Lije  of 
W'es'ey^  ii.  419. 

-  Coke  suggested  that  they  might  be  consecrated  as  Bishops  of  the 
Methodist  Society  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

•*  His  sentiments  may  be  inferred  from  his  letter  to  Dr.  Chandler, 
for  which  see  p.  175. 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     17s 

presumed  to  discharge.  Then  it  was  that  Wesley 
wrote  to  Asbury  in  these  terms :  "  You  and  the  Doctor 
differ  from  me.  I  study  to  be  httle ;  you  study  to  be 
great.  I  creep ;  you  s/ru^  along.  .  .  .  How  can  you, 
how  dare  you  suffer  yourself  to  be  called  Bishop  ?  I 
shudder,  I  start  at  the  very  thought !  Men  may  call  me 
a  knave  or  a  fool,  a  rascal,  a  scoundrel,  and  I  am 
content ;  but  they  shall  never  by  my  consent  call  me 
Bishop.  For  my  sake,  for  God's  sake,  for  Christ's 
sake  put  a  full  end  to  this !  Let  the  Presbyterians  do 
what  they  please,  but  let  Methodists  know  their  call- 
ing better."  ^  No  wonder  that  Asbury,  on  reading  this 
rebuke,  remarked  "  Unpleasant  expressions." 

Charles  Wesley,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Chandler, 
of  Ehzabeth,  New  Jersey,  speaks  equally  "  unpleasant " 
things :  "  What  will  become  of  those  poor  sheep  in 
the  wilderness — the  American  Methodists  ?  How  have 
they  been  betrayed  into  separation  from  the  Church 
of  England,  which  their  preachers  and  they  no  more 
intended  than  the  Methodists  here  ?  Had  they  had 
patience  a  little  longer,  they  would  have  seen  a 
real  bishop  in  America,  consecrated  by  three  Scotch 
bishops,  who  have  their  consecration  from  the  Enghsh 
bishops,  and  are  acknowledged  by  them  as  the  same 
with  themselves.^      There  is,  therefore,  not  the  least 

1  "Wesley's  Works"  (1S29),  xiii.  58. 

^  Charles  (and  doubtless  also  John)  Wesley  knew  of  Bishop  Sea- 
bury's  intention  to  go  for  consecration  to  Scotland,  at  the  time  of  the 
meeting  of  the  conference  at  Leeds. 

Dr.  Whitehead,  in  his  "Life  of  Wesley,"  remarks  of  Coke's  so-called 
consecration  :  "The  person  who  advised  the  measure  would  be  proved 
to  have  been  a  felon  to  Methodism,  and  to  have  stuck  a  knife  into  the 
vitals  of  its  body." 


176      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

difference  between  the  members  of  Bishop  Seabury's 
Church  and  the  members  of  the  Church  of  England. 
He  told  me  that  he  looked  upon  Methodists  as  sound 
members  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  was  ready  to 
ordain  any  of  their  preachers  whom  he  should  find 
qualified.  His  ordination  would  indeed  be  genuine, 
valid,  and  episcopal.  But  what  are  your  poor  Method- 
ists now  ?  Only  a  new  sect  of  Presbyten'ans.^^  He 
also  speaks  of  his  brother's  act  as  one  that  was  contrary 
to  all  his  declarations,  protestations,  and  writings,  and 
as  leaving  an  indelible  blot  on  his  name.^ 

It  may  be  added  here  that,  in  1813,  Coke  (who, 
while  negotiations  with  Bishop  White  were  going  on 
favourably,  had  returned  to  England,,  upon  hearing  of 
Wesley's  death)  applied  in  secret  to  Lord  Liverpool 
and  William  Wilberforce  to  be  appointed  Bishop  for 
India.  He  promised,  in  that  event,  to  return  most 
fully  and  faithfully  into  the  bosom  of  the  Established 
Church,  to  do  everything  in  his  power  to  promote  her 
interests,  and  to  submit  to  such  regulations  as  might 
be  imposed  by  the  Government  and  the  Bench  of 
Bishops  at  home.^ 

In  1788  he  had  advised,  strongly  against  the  wish 
of  some  Methodists,  that  ministers  should  be  ordained 
from  among  themselves.  This,  however,  was  done 
while  he  was  imprisoned  in  Delaware  for  disaffection 
to  the  American  cause.  Upon  his  release,  he  went 
to  Virginia,  and  succeeded  in  having  such  ordinations 

'  Jackson's  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  ii.  392. 

-  See  I iockin's  valuable  work,  "  John  Wesley  and  Modern  Metho- 
dism," p.  61,  and  Wilberforce's  Correspondence,  ii.  25S. 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     177 

declared  invalid,  and  in  thus  restoring  union  with  the 
Church.  This  being  done,  the  Methodists  there  were 
no  longer  willing  to  receive  the  sacraments  from  the 
hands  of  their  preachers,  but  travelled^ long  distances 
to  receive  them  from  the  clergy  of  the  Church,  who 
themselves  also,  in  many  instances,  made  equally 
long  journeys  to  administer  them.  Some  years  be- 
fore, Wesley  had  in  vain  asked  Bishop  Lowth  to 
ordain  at  least  two  priests  for  this  special  work 
among  the  Methodists. 

When  the  General  Convention  of  1792  met  in 
New  York,  Bishop  Madison  was  very  sanguine  that 
measures  might  be  adopted  whereby  the  Methodist 
schism  might  be  healed,  and  formulated  a  proposition 
which  may  be  considered  as  the  first  step  taken  by 
the  American  Church  towards  Christian  unity.  It 
read,  after  some  modifications  by  the  other  bishops, 
as  follows : — 

"  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  ever  bearing  in  mind  the  sacred 
obligation  which  attends  all  the  followers  of  Christ, 
to  avoid  divisions  among  themselves,  and  anxious 
to  promote  that  union  for  which  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  so  earnestly  prayed,  do  hereby  declare  to 
the  Christian  world  that,  uninfluenced  by  any  other 
considerations  than  those  of  duty  as  Christians,  and 
an  earnest  desire  for  the  prosperity  of  pure  Chris- 
tianity and  the  furtherance  of  our  holy  religion,  they 
are  ready  and  willing  to  unite  and  form  one  body 
with  any  religious  society  which  shall  be  influenced 
by  the  same  Catholic  spirit.     And  in  order  that  this 

M 


178      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Christian  end  may  be  the  more  easily  effected,  they 
further  declare  that  all  things  in  which  the  great 
essentials  of  Christianity  or  the  characteristic  prin- 
ciples of  their  Church  are  not  concerned,  they  are 
willing  to  leave  to  future  discussion ;  being  ready  to 
alter  or  modify  those  points  which  in  the  opinion  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  are  subject  to  human 
alteration.  And  it  is  hereby  recommended  to  the 
State  Conventions  to  adopt  such  measures  or  propose 
such  conference  with  Christians  of  other  denomina- 
tions as  to  themselves  may  be  thought  most  pru- 
dent, and  report  accordingly  to  the  ensuing  General 
Convention." 

In  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  the 
message  met  with  but  little  favour,  on  the  ground 
that  it  tended  to  a  distrust  of  the  Church's  stability, 
without  any  promise  of  success  with  any  other 
religious  body.  It  was  accordingly  withdrawn,  and 
nothing  more  was  heard  of  it.  But  from  that  time 
until  now,  many  ministers  and  people  from  the 
Methodists,^  as  indeed  from  every  sect  represented 
in  America,  have  found  a  home  in  the  Church,  and 
have  contributed  largely  to  her  prosperity. 

The  adjustment  of  the  daughter  Church's  relations 

^  It  is  not  the  pro%'ince  of  this  work  to  enter  into  any  theological 
dissertations  apart  from  matters  strictly  historical.  Otherwise,  it 
would  be  a  very  easy  thing  to  prove  that  John  and  Charles  Wesley 
never  thought  of  leaving  the  Church,  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  died  in 
her  communion.  Quotations  could  bu  made  from  the  writings  of  the 
former  to  show  how  he  abhorred  and  denounced  the  idea  of  a  separate 
ecclesiastical  organisation  for  his  followers,  and  how  therefore  they 
best  deserve  that  name  who  are  in  and  of  the  Anglican  Church,  to 
whose  distinctive  doctrines  he  ever  gave  his  free  assent. 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     179 

to  the  mother  Church  has  already  passed  partially 
under  review.  Attention  is  again  called  to  the  matter 
fur  the  purpose  of  emphasising  the  care  which  was 
taken  to  prevent  any  idea  of  the  formation  of  a  strictly 
new  Church.  While  she  was  henceforth  to  be  inde- 
pendent as  to  all  matters  of  detail  in  government, 
ritual,  and  discipline,  she  was  equally  ready  to  ac- 
knowledge herself  as  simply  one  of  many  branches 
that  might  belong  to  the  parent  stem.  In  all  essential 
things,  she  would  still  be  responsible  to  the  Church 
Catholic.^ 

In  the  Preface  to  the  American  Prayer-Book,  this 
principle  is  fully  and  frankly  set  forth  in  these  words : 
"This  Church  is  far  from  intending  to  depart  from 
the  Church  of  England  in  any  essential  point  of 
doctrine,  discipline,  or  worship,  or  further  than  local 
circumstances  require." 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  recognition  by  the 
civil  authority  of  the  claims  put  forth  by  the  American 
Church  to  the  same  rights  and  privileges  as  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Church  of  England. ^  Even  after  the 
declaration  of  peace,  rates  were  levied  and  paid  in  a 
number  of  parishes  for  the  maintenance  of  the  clergy. 
The  same  right,  in  some  instances,  was  allowed  to 
dissenting    bodies.^     It    was    only   by    degrees    that 


^  See  an  extract  from  an  admirable  sermon,  preached  in  1S41,  by  one 
of  the  saints  of  the  American  Church,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Roosevelt 
Johnson  :  Waylen's  Ecclesiastical  Reminiscences,  pp.  35,  36. 

"  See  especially  the  Declaration  of  Rights,  set  forth  in  Maryland 
(see  pp.  137  ei  sqq.),  wherein  the  identity  of  the  two  Churches  is 
clearly  recognised  by  an  Act  of  Assembly. 

^  In  Maryland,  it  was  provided  that  persons  should  have  the  right 


I  So      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

the  State  Legislatures  enacted  the  formal  dissolution 
of  the  ties  which  bound  the  Church  and  State  together. 
(Virginia  was  the  first  to  institute  such  proceedings.) 
Where  the  Dissenting  bodies  had  been  so  established, 
this  dissolution  was  the  longer  postponed.  The  Con- 
gregationalists  in  Connecticut  remained  "established" 
until  some  time  after  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century ;  and,  as  we  have  already  seen,  it  was  not 
until  1833  that  the  final  settlement  of  the  question 
was  reached  in  Massachusetts. 

The  relation  between  ecclesiastical  and  civil  things 
had  been  more  intimate  in  some  states  than  in  others. 
Those  who  were  elected  to  the  Council  of  the  Delaware 
State  (answering  to  what  is  now  known  as  the  State 
Senate)  were  required,  as  late  as  1776,  to  make  the 
following  declaration  :  "  I  do  profess  faith  in  God  the 
Father,  and  in  Jesus  Christ  His  only  Son,  and  in  the 
Holy  Ghost,  one  God  blessed  for  evermore.  And  I 
do  acknowledge  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments  to  be  given  by  Divine  inspiration." 

The  severance  of  such  ties  was  not  wholly  a  political 
necessity,  but  sometimes  arose  from,  or  was  hastened 
by,  a  desire  on  the  part  of  irreligious  people  to  weaken 
the  hold  of  the  Church  and  Christianity  upon  the 
community.  Leiand,  a  Baptist  chronicler,  acknow- 
ledges that,  so  far  as  concerned  the  petitions  to  the 
Virginia  Assembly  in  1766  against  the  Church  Estab- 

of  choosing  the  places  where  Ihey  would  attend  public  worship,  and 
that  out  of  the  tax  imposed  upon  the  community  for  the  support  of 
Christianity  in  general,  the  ratepayers  might  designate  the  denomination 
to  whose  benefit  the  money  should  be  applied.  In  the  same  act,  the 
Church's  right  to  her  property  was  allowed. 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     i8r 

lishment,  "  the  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  Quakers,  deists 
and  covetous  all  prayed  for  this."^ 

This  common  feeling  against  the  Church  was  mani- 
fested in  some  States  in  the  attempts  made  to  dispos- 
sess the  Church  of  her  property.  At  the  time  (1776) 
when  the  laws  for  disestablishing  the  Church  were 
passed  in  Virginia,  there  was  much  controversy  on  the 
subject.  Among  those  arrayed  against  the  Church 
was  Thomas  Jefferson.  Encouraged  by  what  had  thus 
been  done,  and  not  satisfied  with  having  been  freed 
from  payments  in  her  behalf,  the  Dissenters  importuned 
the  Assembly,  until  it  passed,  in  1 802,  an  act  by  which 
the  glebes  were  to  be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the 
indiscriminate  public.  The  constitutionality  of  this 
act  was  at  once  questioned,  and  the  courts  were 
appealed  to  for  an  opinion  in  the  matter.  When  tried 
before  the  Court  of  Appeals,  it  was  left  undetermined, 
because  of  the  death  of  Judge  Pendleton  (the  Presiding 
Judge)  in  the  night  before  delivering  the  decision, 
already  reached,  by  which  the  Church  would  have 
been  declared  entitled  to  the  lands.  At  the  succeeding 
term,  the  judges  were  equally  divided  in  their  opinions, 
and  the  author  has  been  informed  that  at  no  time  has 
this  act  of  confiscation  been  declared  constitutional 
by  a  majority  of  the  bench  whose  members  have 
deliberated  upon  it. 

Because  of  a  continuance  of  such  attempts  to  in- 
validate the  Church's  title  to  her  property,  the  General 

^  A  similar  collusion  of  heterogeneous  elements  may  be  seen  in 
England  to-day,  endeavouring  to  rob  the  National  Church  there  of  its 
inalienable  possessions. 


tS2      history  of  the  church  in  AMERICA 

Convention  in  1814  adopted  the  following  declaration: 
"  It  having  been  credibly  stated  to  the  House  of  Bishops 
that  on  questions  in  reference  to  property  devised  be- 
fore the  Revolution  to  congregations  belonging  to  '  the 
Church  of  England,'  and  to  uses  connected  with  that 
name,  some  doubts  have  been  entertained  in  regard  to 
the  identity  of  the  body  to  which  the  two  names  have 
been  applied,  the  House  thinks  it  expedient  to  make 
the  declaration,  and  to  request  the  concurrence  of  the 
House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  therein : — That 
'  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America'  is  the  same  body  heretofore 
known  in  these  States  by  the  name  of  'the  Church 
of  England,'  the  change  of  name,  although  not  of 
religious  principle,  in  doctrine  or  in  worship  or  in 
discipline,  being  induced  by  a  characteristic  of  the 
Church  of  England,  supposing  the  independence  of 
Christian  Churches  under  the  different  sovereignties, 
to  which,  respectively,  their  allegiance  in  civil  con- 
cerns belongs.  But  that  when  the  severance  alluded 
to  took  place,  and  ever  since,  this  Church  conceives  of 
herself  as  professing  and  acting  on  the  principles  of 
the  Church  of  England,  is  evident  from  the  organisa- 
tion of  our  Conventions,  and  from  their  subsequent 
proceedings,  as  recorded  in  the  Journals ;  to  which, 
accordingly,  this  Convention  refers  for  satisfaction  in 
the  premises.  But  it  would  be  contrary  to  fact  were 
any  one  to  infer  that  the  discipline  exercised  in  this 
Church,  or  that  any  proceedings  therein  are  at  all 
dependent  on  the  will  of  the  civil  or  of  the  ecclesias- 
tical authority  of  any  foreign  country." 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     183 

Bishop  Seabury,  in  Letters  of  Orders,  given  to  a 
priest  in  1785,  describes  the  Church  as  the  Church  of 
England.  He  held  to  this  idea  for  some  time,  arguing 
that,  although  subsisting  under  a  different  civil  govern- 
ment, she  was  still  the  Church  of  England.  "  Her 
being  of  the  Church  of  England,"  he  said,  "no  more 
implies  dependence  on,  or  subjection  to,  England,  than 
being  of  the  Church  of  Holland  implies  subjection  to 
Holland." 

The  name  Protestant  was  rather  a  popular  and 
political  than  an  ecclesiastical  designation  in  Mary- 
land for  nearly  a  hundred  years,  having  originated  with 
some  adherents  of  William  III.,  near  to  the  close  of 
the  seventeenth  century.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Brand,  in  his 
"Life  of  Bishop  Whittingham,"  ^  notes  that  "in  retired 
country  places,  where  old  usage  lingers,  when  the 
writer  first  came  to  Maryland,  our  branch  of  the 
Catholic  Church  was  still  distinguished  from  all  other 
religious  bodies  as  '  The  Protestant  Church.' " 

Attempts  have  been  made  in  several  General  Con- 
ventions to  change  by  legislation  the  corporate  or 
legal  name,  Protestant  Episcopal ;  but  thus  far  in 
vain.  Many  people,  however,  habitually  substitute 
some  other  title  in  their  designation  of  the  Church. 
In  the  General  Convention  of  1844,  a  resolution  was 
proposed  and  debated  (although  afterwards  withdrawn) 
dealing  with  the  case  of  a  clergyman  who  had  signed 
himself  a  priest  of  "The  Reformed  Catholic  Church." 
Such  a  practice  was  described  as  "  derogatory  to  the 
Protestant  character  of  the  Church,  and  of  evil  tendency." 
*  Vol.  i.  p.  212. 


1 8}      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

In  a  document  entitled  "The  Report  of  the  Pre- 
siding Bishop  on  Certain  Matters  referred  to  him 
by  the  last  General  Convention  (1818)  to  take  order," 
Bishop  White,  referring  to  the  Calendar,  designates  it 
as  "The  Calendar  of  the  American  CJnirciir'^ 

At  the  General  Convention  of  1792,  a  reconciliation 
was  effected  between  Seabury  and  Provoost.  The 
former  relinquished  the  right  of  presiding,  to  which 
he  was  entitled  by  virtue  of  his  seniority  of  consecra- 
tion, allowing  the  latter  to  be  chosen  in  his  place.  As 
this  matter  of  Presiding  Bishop  has  been  much  mis- 
understood, a  concise  history  of  it  is  given  at  this 
point. 

In  the  General  Convention  of  1789,  Bishop  White 
was  the  only  bishop  present.  He  signed  the  minutes 
of  its  proceedings  as  President  of  the  Convcjition.  At 
the  adjourned  meeting,  held  in  October  of  the  same 
3'ear,  Bishops  Seabury  and  White  were  present,  and 
the  former  signed  the  minutes  as  President.  At  this 
session,  a  rule  was  adopted  by  the  bishops  to  the 
effect  that  thereafter  the  senior  bishop  present  should 
be  the  President,  seniority  dating  from  the  letters  of 
consecration. 

In  1792  this  rule  was  rescinded,  and  it  was  ordered 
that  "the  office  of  President  of  this  House  shall  be 
held  in  rotation,  beginning  from  the  North ;  reference 
being  had  to  the  Presidency  of  this  House  in  the  last 
Convention."  In  pursuance  of  this  action,  Bishop 
Provoost  presided,  and  signed  the  minutes  as  Pre- 
sident.     This  course  was  followed  until  1804,  when 

^  Perry's  Reprints  of  General  Convention  Journals,  vol.  i.  p.  640. 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     185 

the  original  rule  was  re-enacted.  It  has  ever  since 
remained  in  force,  with  the  additional  provision 
adopted  in  1889,  by  which  a  Chairman  may  be 
elected  by  the  House  of  Bishops,  who  shall  dis- 
charge such  duties  as  may  be  devolved  upon  him 
by  the  Presiding  Bishop. 

In  the  General  Convention  of  1795,  Bishop  White, 
by  the  rule  last  adopted,  presided,  signing  himself 
Presiding  Bishop.  This  seems  to  be  the  first  time 
that  this  title  was  used.  At  the  special  Convention 
of  1799,  in  the  absence  of  the  bishop  whose  turn  it 
was.  Bishop  White  presided,  and  his  signature  again 
was  Presiding  Bishop. 

In  the  Constitution  as  adopted  in  1789,  there  was 
no  mention  made  of  the  Presiding  Bishop;  but  a 
provision  was  inserted  to  the  effect  that,  until  there 
were  three  or  more  bishops  (this  number  being  neces- 
sary to  form  a  separate  House),  any  bishop  attending 
General  Convention  should  be  a  member  ex  officio, 
and  should  vote  with  the  clerical  deputies  of  his  State, 
and  that  a  bishop  should  preside. 

In  the  Constitution  as  revised  in  1841,  the  term 
"  Presiding  Bishop  "  is  employed ;  but  neither  in  the 
Constitution  nor  in  the  Canons  is  there  any  method 
prescribed  for  his  appointment  or  that  of  his  successor. 
This  matter  is  left  entirely  to  such  regulations  as  the 
House  of  Bishops  may,  from  time  to  time,  see  fit  to 
adopt.  It  has  happened  in  several  instances  that  the 
bishops  of  the  smallest  dioceses  have  been  Presiding 
Bishops. 
-  The  duties  of  the  office  are  such  as  may  be  deter- 


i86      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

mined  upon  by  the  House  of  Bishops.  As  a  general 
rule,  they  have  consisted  of  presiding  at  their  meet- 
ings, taking  order  for  the  consecration  of  bishops, 
acting  as  the  medium  of  communication  between  the 
American  Church  and  other  organisations,  and  filling 
temporarily  such  vacancies  as  may  occur  in  the  Epis- 
copate of  missionary  jurisdictions. 

It  was  at  the  General  Convention  of  1792  that  for  the 
first  time  Lay  Delegates  were  present  from  Connecticut 
and  Rhode  Island,  the  latter  diocese  now  giving  its 
formal  assent  to  the  Constitution.  North  Carolina  sent 
a  delegate,  who  arrived  after  the  adjournment,  having 
been  detained  by  contrary  winds.  In  the  adoption  of 
the  ordinal.  Bishop  Seabury  endeavoured  to  have,  at 
the  ordination  of  priests,  but  a  single  form,  as  in  the 
English  Prayer-Book,  but  at  length  "with  great  re- 
luctance," Bishop  White  says,  consented  to  the  addi- 
tion of  an  alternative  form,  as  now  in  use. 

Domestic  missions  occupied  the  attention  of  the 
Convention,  its  members  now  beginning  to  realise  the 
already  immense  territory  for  which  the  Church  was 
responsible,  and  the  spiritual  destitution  of  her  mem- 
bers living  on  the  frontiers.  Measures  to  supply  this 
want  were  proposed,  including  the  preaching  of  an 
annual  sermon  on  the  subject,  the  obtaining  of  funds, 
and  the  employment  of  missionaries.  The  furtherance 
of  these  plans  was  intrusted  to  the  Bishop  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  Standing  Committee  appointed  by  the 
Convention. 

Because  of  the  embargo  laid  upon  travellers  by  the 
government,  on  account  of  epidemic  disease,  no  dele- 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     187 

gates  from  New  England  attended  the  General  Con- 
vention of  1795,  which  was  held  in  Philadelphia.     It 
witnessed  a  strong   movement   towards  the   increase 
of  the  Episcopate.     In  one  case,  however,  the  effort 
in  that  direction  failed  of  success.     The  Rev.  Samuel 
Peters,  D.D.,  was  elected,  in  1794,  Bishop  of  Vermont. 
Dr.  Bass,  then  rector  of  Newburyport,  Massachusetts, 
had  been  chosen  to  this  see  in  September  1793,  but 
his  acceptance  of  the  election  was  conditioned  upon  his 
being  required  to  give  only  temporary  visitations  until 
a  proper  support  should  be  secured  for  him  "  by  the 
increase  of  the  lands."     Tliis  had  virtually  been  the 
understanding  of  the  Convention  when  he  was  elected, 
and  he,  no  doubt,  would  have  been  duly  consecrated, 
except  for  the  schemes  of  some  of  Dr.  Peters's  friends, 
and  of  his  son-in-law.  Colonel  Jarvis.     They  secured 
the  calling  of  a  special  Convention  in  the  spring  of  1794, 
persuaded  its  members  that  it  would  be  much  better  at 
once  to  secure  a  resident  bishop,  and  assured  them  that 
Dr.  Peters  had  means  of  his  own,  or,  as  his  wealthy 
son-in-law  expressed  it,  "  a  salary  which  he  could  bring 
with  him."^     The  Convention  was  a  very  small  one, 
only  one  or  two  clergymen  being  present,  and  repre- 
sentatives  from   less   than    half  of  all    the   parishes. 
Under  the  manipulation  of  artful  men,^  and  much  to 
the  discredit  of  the  Convention,  so  far  as  its  treatment 
of  Dr.  Bass  is  concerned,  Dr.  Peters  was  elected. 

^  He  had  left  America  on  account  of  the  war,  and  was  then  residing 
in  England. 

*  See  "  Historical  Review  of  the  First  Century  of  the  Church  in 
Vermont,"  by  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Bailey,  D.D.,  at  p.  304  of  the  Journal 
of  the  Convention  of  1S90. 


i8S      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Instead  of  applying  to  the  American  bishops,  the 
diocesan  officials  requested  the  Archbishop  of-  Canter- 
bury to  consecrate  Dr.  Peters.  This  he  declined  to 
do  on  various  grounds,  one  of  them  being  his  un- 
willingness to  do  anything  whereby  he  might  invade 
the  rights  of,  and  offend,  the  College  of  Bishops  in 
America.  For  the  same  reason,  the  Scotch  bishops 
declined  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  matter.  The 
French  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  was  then  consulted 
as  to  the  likelihood  of  obtaining  consecration  from 
bishops  of  his  country.  These  expressed  themselves 
as  ready  to  grant  the  request,  provided  the  candidate 
believed  "all  the  articles  that  the  French  priests 
believe,  especially  about  the  real  presence  of  Christ 
in  the  Eucharist." 

It  was  after  this  futile  attempt  that  the  General 
Convention  of  1795  was  asked  by  a  Convention  of  the 
Diocese,  which  then  contained  only  one  clergyman  and 
twelve  laymen,  to  take  order  for  the  consecration. 
This  they  declined  to  do,  giving  as  a  reason  for  their 
refusal,  that  Vermont  had  not  yet  acceded  to  the 
General  Constitution  of  the  American  Church.  Bishop 
White  says,  "  There  were,  besides,  some  personal 
circumstances  which  prevented  the  paying  of  much 
respect  to  the  sohcitation."  This  was  the  last  heard 
of  Dr.  Peters  in  this  connection,  except  a  letter  from 
him  to  a  friend  of  his  in  New  Hampshire,  in  which  he 
subscribes  himself  "  S.  P.,  Bp.-elect  of  Nil." 

Another  request  for  consecration,  that  from  South 
Carolina,  in  favour  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Smith,  D.D., 
was   received    with    suspicion    on    the    part   of  some 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     1S9 

members  of  the  Convention.  For,  as  it  may  be 
remembered,  this  was  the  diocese  which  entered 
into  the  general  compact  on  the  condition  that  it 
should  not  be  obhged  to  receive  a  bishop,  and  it  was 
feared  that  the  request  now  made  was  not  a  wholly 
ingenuous  one.  However,  there  being  no  valid  objec- 
tion raised.  Dr.  Smith  was  duly  consecrated.  Bishops 
White,  Provoost,  Madison,  and  Claggett  uniting  in 
the  act. 

That  the  suspicion  against  South  Carolina  in  this 
connection  was  not  wholly  groundless,  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact  that,  although  Bishop  Smith  lived  until 
1801,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  he  never  adminis- 
tered Confirmation.  Again,  there  was  a  vacancy  in 
the  Episcopate  for  eleven  years  after  his  death,  and 
it  was  not  until  18 13  that  we  have  any  knowledge 
of  Confirmation  being  administered  in  the  diocese. 
This  was  by  Bishop  Dehon  in  S.  Michael's  Church, 
Charleston. 

Partly  too,  perhaps,  for  another  reason  this  same 
diocese  was  unrepresented  in  the  General  Convention 
until  1 8 14.  This  other  reason  has  to  do  with  the 
strange  conduct  of  one  of  its  deputies  to  the  Con- 
vention whose  proceedings  we  are  now  considering. 
Attention  had  been  publicly  called,  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Andrews  of  Pennsylvania,  to  a  pamphlet  recently  issued, 
entitled,  "Strictures  on  the  Love  of  Power  in  the 
Prelacy,  by  a  Member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Association  ^  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina."     The 

1  The  employment  of  this  term  shows  how  little  the  true  nature  of 
the  Church  was  appreciated. 


I90      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Pennsylvania  delegate  spoke  of  it  as  "a  violent  attack 
upon  the  doctrine  and  discipline  of  our  Church."  He 
also  alluded  to  those  portions  which  were  generally 
esteemed  to  constitute  a  libel  upon  Bishop  Seabury. 
Bishop  White  styles  it  "  personal  abuse  in  a  licentious 
pamphlet,"  and  says  that  it  was  based  upon  the  pre- 
sumption that  Bishop  Seabury  was  the  author  of  a 
defence  of  the  Episcopal  veto,  which,  in  fact,  was  gene- 
rally known  to  have  been  written  by  some  one  else. 
The  matter  was  thought  grave  enough  to  be  con- 
sidered in  a  committee  of  the  whole,  at  whose  instiga- 
tion the  House  of  Deputies  adopted  a  resolution  in 
which  it  was  declared  that  the  pamphlet  contained 
"  very  censurable  and  offensive  matter."  Its  writer, 
the  Rev.  Henry  Purcell,  D.D.,  of  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  was  (under  fear  of  expulsion)  apparently 
convinced  of  the  error  he  had  committed,  and  made 
what  was  deemed  a  sufficient  apology.  But  no  sooner 
had  the  Convention  adjourned  than  he  challenged  Dr. 
Andrews  to  fight  a  duel.  This  led  to  his  arrest  by  the 
civil  authority,  by  whom  he  was  bound  over  to  keep 
the  peace.  Duelling  continued  for  many  years  after- 
wards to  be  considered,  among  many  otherwise  reput- 
able people,  a  justifiable  method  of  settling  personal 
differences,  however  much  the  law  was  opposed  to 
it.  In  1839  an  English  writer  gives  an  account  of  a 
sermon  which  he  heard  in  Baltimore  on  the  evils  of 
this  practice,  and  for  at  least  ten  years  afterwards  it 
was  the  subject  for  discussion  in  many  a  debating 
society.  Happily,  it  has  now  been  almost  entirely 
extirpated  from  the  countr}',  and  when  at  all  resorted 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     191 

to  is  denounced  by  the  really  respectable  portion  of 
the  community.^ 

The  Church  in  North  Carolina  asked  at  the  same 
Convention  for  the  consecration  as  their  bishop  of  the 
Rev.  Charles  Pettigrew,  who  had  been  elected  at  a 
convention  in  Tarboro,  1795.  He  left  his  home  to 
receive  the  office,  but  was  prevented  from  arriving  in 
time  by  an  epidemic  raging  in  Virginia.  He  had 
accepted  his  election  reluctantly,  on  account  of  his 
frail  health,  and  it  is  altogether  likely  that  he  himself 
was  one  of  the  fever's  victims,  as  no  later  account  of 
him  is  to  be  found.  He  was  a  man  of  liberal  educa- 
tion, of  great  zeal  and  devotion  in  behalf  of  both  the 
Church  and  the  State,  and  withal  very  generous  in  his 
gifts.  A  letter  to  his  sons  in  college  was  printed,  and 
was  much  admired  as  a  portraiture  of  the  Christian 
gentleman. 

Not  many  months  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Con- 
vention, Bishop  Seabury  died.  He  had  been  busily 
engaged  in  a  round  of  visitations  during  the  autumn, 
and  afterwards  had  been  equally  zealous  in  discharg- 
ing his  parochial  duties.  Some  few  tokens  of  failing 
health  had  been  noticed,  but  no  particular  uneasiness- 
was  felt  concerning  him.  He  was  eating  supper  at 
the  house  of  one  of  his  wardens  (the  father-in-law  of 
his  son  Charles),  when  he  was  taken  with  an  apo- 
plectic fit,  and  died  within  a  few  minutes.  This  was 
on  February  25,  1796,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  first  buried  in  the  public  cemetery  of 
New  London,  but  in  1849  his  remains  were  removed 

^  See  p.  204. 


192      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

to  a  crypt  expressly  built  for  this  purpose,  under  the 
chancel  of  the  new  church  in  that  city,  a  handsome 
monument  being  at  the  same  time  erected  there  to  his 
memory. 

His  character  and  services  have  been  already  set 
forth  somewhat  in  detail  in  the  records  of  that  period 
wherein  he  was  so  prominent  and  so  honoured  an 
actor.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  it  is  difficult  to  over- 
estimate the  value  of  his  services  to  the  infant  Church. 
He  was  a  man  of  pronounced  views,  without  any  dis- 
position to  haughtiness,^  and  of  real  simplicity  of  life.^ 
His  love  for  the  Church  in  all  its  integrity  dominated 
him  through  life,  and  it  is  to  this  unselfish  love  for  her 
that  we  owe  not  a  little  in  her  recent,  era  of  prosperity. 
As  long  as  her  records  are  preserved,  his  name  will 
stand  in  the  very  forefront  of  her  worthies  and  greatest 
benefactors.  We  may  safely  adopt  the  eulogy  pro- 
nounced by  Bishop  Williams  in  his  Convention  sermon 
of  1885,  during  the  Seabury  Centenary:  "Strong  in 
faith,  patient  in  hope,  humble  and  self-sacrificing  in 
charity,  he  stands  out  as  a  man  that  had  understand- 

^  He  rode  over  his  diocese  on  horseback,  or  in  a  sulky.  On  one 
occasion,  a  country  lad  who  had  been  curious  to  see  a  bishop  in  his 
church  attire,  and  attended  a  service  when  he  officiated,  was  asked  by 
one  of  his  neighbours  if  the  bishop  seemed  proud.  "Proud?  Bless 
you,  no,"  he  replied.  "Why,  he  preached  in  his  shirt-sleeves."  He 
occasionally  wore  a  mitre,  which  is  now  in  the  library  of  Trinity 
College,  and  which  he  adopted  as  a  badge  of  office  not  likely  to  be 
worn  by  Dissenters  who  styled  themselves  bishops.  Bishop  Claggett  of 
Maryland  also  at  times  wore  a  mitre. 

^  His  income  during  his  episcopate  was  very  slender.  In  conformity 
with  its  constitution,  theS.P.G.,  after  the  declaration  of  peace,  withdrew 
his  and  all  other  American  stijiends.  Some  of  his  English  friends,  in- 
cluding the  learned  Dr,  Home,  then  Dean  of  Canterbury,  sent  him  until 
bis  death  ^^50  annually. 


QVESTIONS  of  unity,  identity,  rights     193 

ing  of  the  times  to  know  what  Israel  ought  to  do ;  as 
a  builder  able  to  revive  the  stones  out  of  the  rubbish 
which  was  burned ;  as  a  wise  ruler  who  fed  those  over 
whom  the  Holy  Ghost  had  made  him  an  overseer,  ac- 
cording to  the  integrity  of  his  heart,  and  guided  them 
by  the  skilfulness  of  his  hands." 

At  his  death,  his  son,  the  Rev.  Charles  Seabury, 
succeeded  him  in  the  rectorship  of  S.  James's  Church, 
New  London.^  His  grandson,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Sea- 
bury,  D.D.,  was  a  prominent  and  influential  clergyman 
in  New  York,  being  for  many  years  rector  of  the 
Church  of  the  Annunciation  in  that  city,  and  after- 
wards Professor  of  Biblical  Learning  and  Interpreta- 
tion of  Scripture  in  the  General  Theological  Seminary, 
in  which  institution  his  son  ^  (the  Rev.  W.  J.  Sea- 
bury,  D.D.)  is  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  Polity  and 
Law,  having  also  succeeded  him  as  rector  of  his  parish 
in  New  York.  As  editor  of  the  Churchman,  in  a 
time,  too,  of  much  controversy.  Dr.  Samuel  Seabury 
rendered  valiant  service  to  the  Church,  and  was  the 
means  of  quieting  and  edifying  many  souls.  He  was 
among  the  best  theological  scholars  of  his  day. 

One  more  General  Convention  was  held  before  the 
close  of  the  century  at  Philadelphia,  in  1799.  It  was 
prevented  from  meeting,  according  to  agreement,  in  the 
previous  year  by  another  dangerous  epidemic.     There 

^  The  Rev.  Abraham  Jarvis  was  elected  to  succeed  him  in  the  Epis- 
copate, but  declined  ;  whereupon  the  Rev.  John  Bowden,  D.D.,  was 
chosen.  He  also  declined,  on  account  of  his  feeble  health,  and  Mr. 
Jarvis  was  again  elected  and  finally  accepted. 

-  Thus  the  fifth  clergyman  in  as  many  successive  generations  of  the 
Seabury  family. 

N 


194      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

were  present,  from  eight  dioceses,  nineteen  clergymen 
and  ten  laymen.  Bishop  Seabury's  successor  (the 
Right  Rev.  Abraham  Jarvis,  D.D.)  was  there,  as  also 
Bishop  Bass,  of  Massachusetts. 

A  few  facts  in  regard  to  the  latter  prelate  may  be 
given  at  this  point.  He  had  been  elected  to  the 
Episcopate  in  the  summer  of  1789  by  the  clergy  of 
Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire,  and  we  have 
already  seen  ^  v/hat  action  was  taken  concerning  this 
election  by  the  General  Convention  of  1789.  By  the 
time  that  there  were  three  bishops  of  English  conse- 
cration, Dr.2  Bass  had  withdrawn  his  acceptance  of 
the  election.  In  1796  he  was  again  chosen  Bishop  of 
Massachusetts,  and  was  consecrated  .in  Christ  Church, 
Philadelphia,  on  May  7,  1797,  by  Bishops  White, 
Provoost,  and  Claggctt.  In  addition  to  his  labours 
in  Massachusetts,  he  exercised  supervision  for  a 
while  over  the  few  churches  in  Rhode  Island  and 
New  Hampshire.  He  assisted  Bishops  White  and 
Provoost  in  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Jarvis,  in 
Trinity  Church,  New  York,  on  S.  Luke's  Day,  1799. 

Although  the  Convention  of  1799  (held  in  Phila- 
delphia) continued  in  session  eight  days,  there  was  but 
little  important  business  transacted.  The  Articles  of 
Religion  were  again  under  consideration,  but  final  action 
in  regard  to  them  was  postponed.  A  resolution  de- 
claring unnecessary  any  other  articles  of  faith  and 
religion  than  those  founded  upon  Holy  Scripture  and 

'  Supra,  p.  16^. 

^  The  University  of  Penns)lvania  conferred  ilie  degree  of  D.D.  upon 
him  in  1789. 


QUESTIONS  OF  UNITY,  IDENTITY,  RIGHTS     195 

declared  in  the  Creeds  and  Liturgy  was  lost.     Some 
excitement  prevailed  in  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay 
Deputies  during  the  discussion  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Uzal 
Ogden's  ^  election  to  the  Episcopate  by  the  Convention 
of  New  Jersey.     It  was  alleged  that  there  was  not  the 
canonically  requisite  number  of  clergymen  voting  in  the 
election,  and  on  this  ground  action  on  its  confirmation 
was  postponed.    The  members  of  the  Convention  seem 
to  have  been  glad  to  have  the  opportunity  in  this  way 
of  preventing  his   consecration,  inasmuch  as  he  was 
considered  "  as  being  more  attached  to  the  doctrines 
and  the   practices   obtaining  in  some  other  churches 
than   to  those  of  his   own."^      His  subsequent  con- 
duct furnished  ample  warrant  for  this  suspicion.     The 
New  Jersey  Convention   reaffirmed   his  election,   and 
took   steps   to  secure  his   consecration,   but   the   next 
General  Convention  declined  to  recommend  him.    Some 
of  his  adherents   talked  at  one  time  of  applying  to 
the   Scottish    bishops.       In    1804   the   General   Con- 
vention   was    memorialised    on    the    subject   of   diffi- 
culties  which    had    arisen    between    himself    and    his 
congregation,  but   no  action  was  taken.     The  matter 
was  then  brought  before  a  special  Convention  in  New 
Jersey,  at  which  time  he  withdrew  himself  from  the 
American  Church,  and,  as  already  noted,  declared  his 
intention    of    officiating    under    his    English    license. 
Thereupon  he  was  suspended  from  the  exercise  of  his 
ministry  in  New  Jersey,  and  we  read  of  his  afterwards 
ministering,  until  his  death,  among  the  Presbyterians. 
In    the   final    year    of    the    century,    there   was    a 

'■  See  p.  19.  -  White's  "  Memoirs,"  p.  178. 


196      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

very  significant  conference  at  Weathersfield,  Vermont, 
between  Churchmen  and  Congregationalists,  as  to 
worshipping  together  in  pubHc.  Committees  from 
both  bodies  discussed  the  matter  in  a  very  friendly 
spirit.  The  Church  thus  instructed  her  committee : 
"The  orders  we  give  to  our  committee  is  (szc)  as 
follows,  viz. :  that  the  standing  order  will  agree  that 
the  Preast  shall  be  ordained  by  the  Bishop — we  will 
agree  with  the  standing  order  in  sitting  a  preast." 
This,  however,  did  not  suit  the  Congregationalists,  and 
it  was  finally  agreed  to  refer  the  matter  to  the  Bishop 
of  Massachusetts,  Dr.  Bass.  His  answer  cannot  be 
found,  but  its  character  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact 
that  the  union  was  not  effected,  k  is  interesting  to 
observe  how  these  early  Churchmen  clung  to  the 
historic  Episcopate.^ 

^    See    the    "  Centennial    Convention  Journal  of  Vermont,"   1890, 
pp.  309,  310. 


CHAPTER  X 

A  PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH 

The  General  Convention  of  l8oi — Bishop  Provoost's  resignation,  and 
action  upon  it — Articles  of  Religion  adopted — Efforts  for  a  new 
diocese  in  the  West — Proposition  to  elect  a  layman  to  the  Episco- 
pate— Consecration  of  Bishop  Parker — General  Convention  of  1804 
— The  Rev.  Ammi  Rogers — The  General  Convention  of  1808 — • 
Duelling  and  Divorce — The  Degrees  of  Affinity — The  General 
Convention  of  181 1 — Lay  Baptism — Bishop  Kemp  and  a  proposed 
independent  Church — General  Convention  of  18 17 — A  Standard 
Bible — Public  grants  of  money,  and  lotteries — Founding  of  the 
General  Theological  Seminary — The  Rev.  Richard  Mansfield — 
General  Convention  of  1823 — Communicants  as  Lay  Delegates — 
Lay  Readers — General  Convention  of  1826— Questions  involved  in 
the  election  of  Bishops  Meade  and  MTlvaine — General  Conven- 
tion of  1S35 — Election  of  Domestic  Missionary  Bishops. 

The  Church  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century  was  but  ill-equipped  for  the  work  which  lay 
before  her.  There  were  scarcely  more  than  two 
hundred  clergymen,  including  seven  bishops.  When 
the  General  Convention  of  1801  assembled  in  Trenton, 
New  Jersey,  only  seven  States  were  represented,  by 
nineteen  clerical  and  nine  lay  delegates.  The  bishops 
apparently  showed  no  greater  interest  in  its  pro- 
ceedings, four  out  of  the  seven  being  absent.  In  all 
likelihood,  Bishop  Bass  was  detained  at  home  by 
illness.  This  was  the  reason  assigned  by  Bishop 
Provoost    for    his    own    absence.     On    that    account 


193       HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

partly/  he  had  resigned  his  office  at  the  last  Con- 
vention of  New  York,  an  announcement  of  which 
fact  he  made  in  a  communication  addressed  to  Bishop 
White.  This  communication  was  laid  before  the 
House  of  Bishops,  who  subsequently  declared  that 
tlicy  could  see  "  no  grounds  on  which  to  believe 
that  the  contemplated  resignation  is  consistent  with 
ecclesiastical  order,  or  with  the  practice  of  Episcopal 
Churches  in  any  ages,  or  with  the  tenor  of  the 
Office  of  Consecration."  While  they  thus  declined 
to  recognise  his  act  as  an  effectual  resignation,  they 
expressed  tender  sympathy  with  him  in  his  affiictions. 
They  also  declared  their  willingness  to  consecrate 
any  fit  person  with  proper  testimonials  to  be  an 
assistant  or  coadjutor-bishop,  under  such  regulations 
as  might,  with  Bishop  Provoost's  concurrence,  be 
adopted  by  the  Church  in  New  York.  The  Rev. 
Benjamin  Moore,  D.D.,  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  New 
York,  was,  in  accordance  with  this  understanding,  con- 
secrated on  the  third  day  of  the  session.  Thus  it  was 
decided  to  be  unlawful  for  a  diocesan  bishop  to  resign 
his  jurisdiction,  but  permanent  disability  was  allowed 
to  be  a  sufficient  reason  for  granting  an  assistant. 

At  this  Convention,  the  consideration  of  the 
Articles  of  Religion  was  resumed,  and  they  were 
finally  adopted  substantially  as  found  in  the  English 
Book.  A  few  alterations  were  made,  owing  to  the 
change  in  the  civil  government :    the  reading  of  the 

^  In  addition  to  this  reason,  he  adduces  "some  melancholy  occur- 
rences" in  his  family,  and  "an  ardent  wish  to  retire  from  all  public 
employment." 


PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH     199 

Homilies  ^  was  suspended  until  a  revision  of  them  could 
be  effected  which  should  clear  them  of  obsolete  words 
and  local  references ;  and  all  allusion  to  the  Athana- 
sian  Creed  was  omitted.  The  Twenty-First  Article  was 
also  wholly  omitted,  "  because  it  is  partly  of  a  local 
and  also  civil  nature,  and  is  provided  for,  as  to  the 
remaining  parts  of  it,  in  other  articles.  In  place  of  the 
Thirty-Ninth  Article  the  following  was  substituted: — 

"Of  the  Power  of  the  Civil  Magistrate. 

**  The  power  of  the  civil  magistrate  extendeth  to  all 
men,  as  well  Clergy  as  Laity,  in  all  things  temporal, 
but  hath  no  authority  in  things  purely  spiritual.^  And 
we  hold  it  to  be  the  duty  of  all  men  who  are  professors 
of  the  Gospel  to  pay  respectful  obedience  to  the  civil 
authority,  regularly  and  legitimately  constituted." 

On  the  general  question,  there  had  been  from 
time  to  time  expressions  of  opinion  on  the  part  of 
not  a  few  (Bishops  Seabury,  Provoost,  and  Madison 
included)  that  no  Articles  were  needed  in  addition  to 
what  was  already  to  be  found  in  the  Prayer-Book.  In 
reply,  it  was  urged  that,  unless  there  were  some  ex- 
plicit declarations  by  the  Church,  individual  ministers 
might  be  the  more  likely  to  teach  on  some  subjects 
what  would    be   contrary  to   her  doctrines.       Bishop 

*  In  regard  to  the  Article  on  the  Homilies,  this  note  was  made  : 
"  This  Article  is  received  in  this  Church  so  far  as  it  declares  the  Books 
of  Homilies  to  be  an  explication  of  Christian  doctrine,  and  instructive 
in  piety  and  morals." 

-  Let  us  thankfully  note  herein  the  freedom  of  the  American  Church 
from  all  charge  of  Erastianisni.    See  also  a  similar  declaration  on  p.  182. 


200      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

White  would  not  allow  that  the  Articles  were  favour- 
able to  Calvinism,  and  in  regard  to  the  alterations 
made  by  the  Convention  he  says :  "  The  object  kept 
in  view,  in  all  consultations  held,  and  the  determina- 
tions formed,  was  the  perpetuating  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  on  the  ground  of  the  general  principles  which 
she  had  inherited  from  the  Church  of  England ;  and 
of  not  departing  from  them,  except  so  far  as  local 
circumstances  required,  or  some  very  important  cause 
rendered  proper.  To  those  acquainted  with  the  system 
of  the  Church  of  England,  it  must  be  evident  that  the 
object  here  stated  was  accomplished  on  the  ratification 
of  the  Articles."^ 

It  was  not  considered  necessary  to  require  a  specific 
subscription  to  the  Articles,  because  of  the  declaration 
of  belief  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  already  pre- 
scribed in  the  Constitution. 

In  the  Convention  of  i8oi,  a  resolution  was  offered 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Isaac  Wilkins,  of  New  York,-  pro- 
viding that  the  lay  delegates  to  all  such  Conventions 
should  be  communicants  of  at  least  one  year's  stand- 
ing.^ It  was  lost  by  the  following  vote :  Clergy — 
Connecticut    and    New    York,    Ajfe ;     New    Jersey, 

'  White's  "  Memoirs,"  p.  23-     Also  pp.  179  syg, 

^  This  clergyman  was  a  man  of  much  note.  While  a  layman,  he 
took  a  leading  part  in  the  political  discussions  that  preceded  the  War 
of  the  Revolution,  which  caused  his  exile  in  1775.  The  British  Govern- 
ment conferred  on  him  a  life  annuity  of  jC^^^.  He  was  ordained 
deacon  in  1798,  and  priest  in  1801,  when  he  became  rector  of  S.  Peter's 
Church,  West  Chester,  New  York. 

*  This  requirement  was  subsequently  inserted  in  the  Constitution, 
and  is  now  in  force  so  far  as  the  General  Convention  is  concerned.  It 
also  forms  one  of  the  qualifications  for  sitting  in  many  Diocesan  Con- 
ventions.    See  p^ge  208. 


PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH     20 1- 

Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Massachusetts,  and  Mary- 
land, JVo.  Laity — New  York,  Aye ;  Connecticut, 
Delaware,  and  Maryland,  N'o. 

About  this  same  time,  the  clerg}'  of  Virginia  and 
of  the  western  part  of  Pennsylvania  assembled  at 
Washington,  Pennsylvania,  under  the  leadership  of 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Doddridge,  M.D.  Among  other 
plans  which  they  discussed  having  in  view  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  the  Church,  was  the  creation  for 
that  section  of  a  new  and  independent  diocese.  (A 
similar  effort  was  made  in  1842,  but  Bishop  Onderdonk 
did  not  approve  of  it.)  They  felt  very  much  dis- 
couraged that  their  appeals  to  Bishop  White  for  aid 
were  in  vain.  In  the  lack  of  proper  means  of  trans- 
portation and  of  pecuniary  means,  he  found  it  very 
difficult  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  large  territory 
committed  to  his  care.^ 

In  many  parts  of  the  country,  the  Church  was  un- 
doubtedly very  weak  and  almost  "  ready  to  vanish 
away."  Yet  in  other  parts  there  were  many  signs  of 
vitality  and  growth.  For  example,  in  1809  at  Swedes- 
boro,  New  Jersey,  184  persons  were  baptized  and  251 
confirmed. 

In  the  early  period  of  this  century,  a  very  unusual 
and  noteworthy  event  occurred  in  connection  with  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Bishop  Bass.  This 
worthy  prelate  died  on  September  10,  1803.  Shortly 
afterwards,  the  Rev.   Dr.  Dehon   (later  on.  Bishop  of 

*  It  was  not  until  1825  that  he  visited  the  western  part  of  his  diocese. 
He  was  then  accompanied  by  the  Rev.  Jackson  Kemper,  who  himself 
became  subsequently  one  of  the  most  laborious  missionary  bishops. 


202      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

South  Carolina)  waited  upon  a  distinguished  layman, 
Dudley  Atkins  Tyng/  then  of  Newburyport,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and,  on  behalf 
of  the  clergy  of  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island, 
desired  him  "  to  receive  orders  as  Deacon  and  Priest, 
that  they  might  with  as  little  delay  as  possible  elect 
liim  their  Bishop."  Judge  Tyng  expressed  his  pro- 
found thanks  for  this  remarkable  evidence  of  their 
regard,  but  resolutely  declined  the  proffered  honour. "-^ 
This  incident  stands  alone  in  the  history  of  the 
American  Church,  but  we  are  at  once  reminded  of  a 
similar  one  in  the  fourth  century,  when,  very  much 
to  the  advantage  of  the  whole  Church,  S.  Ambrose 
was  chosen  Bishop  of  Milan. 

At  the  time  of  the  General  Convention  (New  York) 
in  1804,  September  16,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Parker, 
rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Boston,  was  consecrated  as 
the  successor  of  Bishop  Bass.  He  had  preached  the 
funeral  sermon  of  Bishop  Bass,  and  ere  he  had  per- 
formed a  single  episcopal  act  this  same  duty  was 
performed  in  his  behalf.  He  died  December  6,  after 
the  briefest  episcopate  in  the  American  Church.  His 
qualifications  for  his  high  office  were  varied  and  con- 
siderable, and  much  regret  was  expressed  at  his 
unexpected  decease. 

Because  of  less  Hkelihood  of  epidemics  at  that 
season  of  the  year,  the  month  of  May  was  chosen 
for  the  sessions  of  the  General  Convention.     (Subse- 

^  He  was  the  father  of  an  eminent  clergyman,  the  Rev.  Stephen  II. 
Tyng,  D.D.,  of  whom  fuller  mention  will  be  made  hereafter. 
*  bee  "Life  of  the  Rev.  Stephen  II.  Tyng,  D.D.,"  p.  21. 


PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH    203 

quently,  October  was  finally  selected.)  At  this  same 
Convention  (1804)  'he  Office  of  Induction^  was 
adopted.  This  office  was  almost  identical  with  one 
for  the  same  purpose  which  had  been  prepared  by  the 
Rev.  William  Smith,  D.D.,  rector  of  S.  Paul's  Churcli, 
Norwalk,  Connecticut,^  and  had  been  adopted  by  the 
bishop  and  clergy  of  that  diocese. 

A  Course  of  Ecclesiastical  Studies  for  Students  in 
Theology  was  prescribed  by  the  House  of  Bishops, 
which  remained  in  force  for  nearly  a  century. 

This  Convention  had  to  deal  with  a  singular  case 
of  discipline.  One  Ammi  Rogers,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut and  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  was  desirous 
of  entering  the  ministry.  Bishop  Seabury  did  not 
favour  this  project,  and  Rogers  removed  to  some 
retired  part  of  New  York,  where  he  made  application 
to  Bishop  Provoost.  For  the  purpose  of  overcoming 
the  objections  raised  to  his  ordination  on  account  of 
his  former  rejection,  he  forged  a  testimonial  in  his 
behalf,  bearing  the  name  of  the  Rev.  Philo  Perry, 
secretary  of  the  Convention  of  Connecticut.  Upon 
the  strength  of  this  document,  he  was  ordained  by 
the  Bishop  of  New  York.  On  his  returning  to  Con- 
necticut, he  was  discovered  by  the  bishop  and  other 
clergy  of  that  diocese,  and  inhibited  from  officiating. 
He  proved  refractory,  and  his  case  was  brought  to  the 

'  The  title  of  this  office  was  altered  to  that  of  "Institution,"  in 
1808,  at  which  time  some  alterations  in  it  were  adopted,  and  its  use 
made  voluntary. 

^  This  clerg)'man  was  nephew  to  the  eminent  divine  of  the  same 
name  (of  Maryland)  to  whom  reference  has  already  been  made.  He 
himself  was  a  man  of  decided  ability  and  culture. 


204      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA     -". 

notice  of  the  House  of  Bishops,  who  were  asked  to 
determine  the  question  as  to  the  authority  to  which 
he  was  amenable.  For  want  of  legislation  affecting 
the  removal  of  clergymen  from  one  diocese  to  another, 
they  decided  that  he  was  answerable  to  the  diocese  of 
Connecticut.  They  further  pronounced  him  deserving 
of  degradation  from  the  ministry.  To  this  latter 
decision,  objection  was  raised  on  the  ground  that 
the  trying  of  the  case  and  any  passing  of  sentence 
that  might  grow  out  of  it  belonged  of  right  to 
the  diocese.  The  canons  passed  at  this  Convention 
made  future  action  of  this  objectionable  kind  im- 
practicable.^ 

Interest  in  Church  matters  grew  but  slowly.  At 
the  General  Convention  of  1808,  held  in  Balti- 
more, there  were  but  two  bishops  present,  and 
only  seven  dioceses  were  represented,  with  fourteen 
clerical  deputies  and  thirteen  laymen.  No  clergy- 
man attended  from  New  Jersey,  and  no  layman  from 
Rhode  Island.  Such  a  meagre  representation  prompted 
"a  solemn  and  affectionate  address  to  the  Churches," 
in  which  were  urged  the  propriety,  necessity,  and 
duty  of  sending  regularly  a  deputation  to  the  Con- 
vention. 

To  mark  its  disapprobation  of  the  habit  of  duelling, 
the  Convention  adopted  a  resolution  in  which  it  was 
declared,   that  the    clergy  ought    not    to   perform  the 

^  In  various  ways  and  at  different  times,  Mr.  Rogers,  with  the  utmost 
pertinacity  and  effrontery,  continued  to  press  his  claims  for  recognition. 
Eventually,  he  was  convicted  of  a  crime  against  the  civil  law  and  im- 
prisoned. When  released,  he  found  himself  with  but  few  friends.  He 
died  in  1852. 


PEIRIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH    205 

funeral  service  in  the  case  of  any  person  who  should 
give  or  accept  the  challenge.^ 

It  is  gratifying  to  observe,  that  at  this  early  period 
the  Church  clearly  pronounced  judgment  in  the 
matter  of  the  remarriage  of  divorced  persons,  for- 
bidding such  unions  except  in  the  case  of  the  innocent 
party  where  adultery  had  been  committed.  An  effort 
was  made  to  obtain  a  formal  sanction  and  promulga- 
tion of  the  Table  of  Degrees  of  Affinity  enforced  in  the 
Church  of  England.  The  House  of  Bishops  declared 
that  table  to  be  obligatory  on  the  American  Church, 
and  recommended  that  the  whole  subject  should  be 
more  fully  considered  at  a  subsequent  Convention.- 

Before  adjourning,  the  amendment  to  the  Constitu- 
tion by  which  an  absolute  negative  upon  legislative 
proceedings  was  given  to  the  House  of  Bishops  was 
adopted.  Thus  was  ended  a  dispute,  always  amiably 
conducted,  that  had  existed  for  some  time  concerning 
episcopal  prerogatives. 

The  Convention  of  181 1,  held  in  Trinity  Church, 
New  Haven,  assembled  under  rather  discouraging 
circumstances.      The     condition    of    the    Church    in 


'  In  the  following  General  Convention  (i8ii),  an  exception  to  this  rule 
was  allowed  where  evidence  should  be  given  of  sincere  repentance. 

-  The  matter  was  referred  to  a  committee  of  bishops,  of  whom  Bishop 
White  was  chairman.  From  what  is  styled  "a  projected  report,"  which 
does  not,  however,  appear  to  have  been  presented,  we  infer  that  its 
conclusions  were  in  favour  of  the  table.  But  while  they  would  have 
prevented  a  clergyman  from  celebrating  marriages  within  the  forbidden 
degrees,  they  were  against  repelling  from  the  Holy  Communion  such 
persons  as  might  marry  a  brother's  wife  or  a  wife's  sister,  a  husband's 
brother  or  a  sister's  husband.  The  disapproval  by  the  Church  of  such 
marriages  is  said  to  be  "because  of  temptations  to  sin  in  the  allow- 
ance of  them."     See  "  Life  of  Bishop  White,"  pp.  343-346. 


2o6      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Maryland  was  declared  to  be  "deplorable,"  while  as 
to  Virginia,  the  fear  was  expressed  that  there  was 
"danger  of  her  total  ruin,  unless  great  exertions, 
favoured  by  the  blessing  of  Providence,  are  employed 
to  raise  her."  Dr.  Hobart  and  Dr.  Griswold  were 
awaiting  consecration,  but  only  two  bishops  were  in 
attendance.  Bishops  Claggett,  Moore,  and  Provoost 
were  ill,  and  Bishop  Madison  felt  himself  restrained 
by  his  oath  from  leaving  his  college.  The  thought 
was  entertained  of  having  recourse  again  to  England, 
but  finally,  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Convention, 
Bishop  Provoost  was  able  to  assist  in  New  York  at 
the  consecration.  Bishop  Hobart  became  his  co- 
adjutor, with  the  right  of  succession,  and  Bishop 
Griswold  went  to  what  was  known  as  the  Eastern 
Diocese,  which  comprised  the  States  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, Vermont,  Massachusetts,  and  Rhode  Island. 

An  incident  in  connection  with  this  consecration 
attracted  for  a  while  a  great  deal  of  attention,  and 
elicited  a  widespread  discussion.  The  presiding  bishop 
(Pennsylvania)  inadvertently  and  unconsciously  omitted 
in  the  imposition  of  hands  the  words  "  In  the  Name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."  It  was  alleged  that  the  consecration  was 
invalid,  not  only  because  of  the  supposed  essential 
nature  of  the  words  themselves,  but  also  because  of 
their  being  a  part  of  the  prescribed  form.  As  to  the 
former  objection,  it  was  answered  that  prominence  is 
given  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  throughout  the 
service.  As  to  the  latter,  it  was  argued  that  no 
precise  words  were  essential,  and  that  the  Invocation 


PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH     207 

was  not  to  be  found  in  the  Primitive  Church,  nor  in 
the  Ordinal  of  the  Church  of  England  until  the  reign 
of  Charles  II.,  and  that  the  Roman  Pontifical  did  not 
contain  it. 

An  effort  was  made  at  this  time  to  draw  forth  from 
the  General  Convention  some  authoritative  declaration 
as  to  the  validity  of  Lay-Baptism.  The  matter,  how- 
ever, was  passed  over  informally. 

About  this  same  period,  there  was  manifested  a 
desire  to  improve  the  musical  portions  of  public 
services.  This  was  shown  in  the  request  not  only 
for  an  additional  number  of  hymns,  but  also  for  the 
setting  forth  by  some  authority  of  proper  music  for 
them  and  for  the  canticles.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
the  matter  was  not  taken  up  with  much  ardour,  when 
we  reflect  upon  the  amount  of  prejudice  with  which 
even  later  generations  had  to  contend,  as  they  sought 
to  introduce  more  chanting  and  singing  into  church- 
worship.  As  an  illustration  of  the  lack  of  regard 
paid  to  the  fitness  of  things  accompanying  such 
worship,  it  may  be  added  that  it  was  not  until  18 14 
that  a  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion  was  pro- 
vided for  the  sessions  of  the  General  Convention. 

The  condition  of  Bishop  Claggett's  ^  health  required 

^  In  giving  an  account  of  his  ordination  to  the  priesthood  and  of  the 
consecration  of  S.  Paul's  Church,  Alexandria,  by  Bishop  Claggetl, 
Bishop  Meade  narrates  an  incident  which  gives  us  some  definite  idea  of 
the  former  prelate.  "  Putting  on  his  robes  and  his  mitre  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  church,  he  had  to  go  along  the  street  to  reach  it.  This 
attracted  the  attention  of  a  number  of  boys  and  others,  who  ran  after 
and  alongside  of  him,  admiring  his  peculiar  dress  and  gigantic  stature. 
His  voice  was  as  extraordinary  for  strength  and  ungovernableness  as  was 
his  stature  for  size,  and  as  he  entered  the  door  of  the  church,  where  the 


2o8      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

that  he  should  have  an  assistant,  and  in  September 
1 8 14  the  Rev.  James  Kemp,  D.D.,  was  chosen  Suf- 
fragan-Bishop of  Maryland.  He  had  scarcely  been 
consecrated  before  some  disaffected  clergymen  (calling 
themselves  "  Evangelicals ")  decided  to  secede  and 
establish  an  independent  Episcopal  Church.  They 
sought  the  aid  of  Bishop  Provoost,  who  had  resigned 
the  diocese  of  New  York,  and  whose  claims  to  juris- 
diction there  were  not  recognised.  Bishop  Benjamin 
Moore  having  really  succeeded  to  the  office  of 
diocesan.  He  was  approached  by  means  of  flatter^' 
by  the  Maryland  clergymen,  who  agreed,  if  he  would 
consent  to  consecrate  a  bishop  for  them,  that  during 
Bishop  Claggett's  lifetime  no  episcopal  act  should 
be  performed  by  their  leader.  The  proposal  reached 
Bishop  Provoost  when  he  was  ver}^  ill,  and  it  is  not 
known  what,  if  any,  answer  was  returned  by  him.  It 
is  not  believed  that  he  would  have  done  anything  but 
scorn  this  suggestion  of  schism,  however  so  boldly 
and  speciously  made.^ 

The  malcontents  next  waited  upon  Bishop  Claggett, 
declared  that  they  would  never  receive  Dr.  Kemp  as 
their  bishop,  and  urged  him  to  consecrate  one  of  their 
own  number  (Mr.  Dashiell) ;  but  their  arguments 
proved  unavailing.     The  Eastern  Shore  was  assigned 

people  were  in  silence  awaiting,  and  the  first  words  of  the  service  burst 
forth  from  his  lips  in  his  most  peculiar  manner,  a  young  lady  turning 
around  suddenly  and  seeing  his  huge  form  and  uncommon  appearance, 
was  so  convulsed  that  she  was  obliged  to  be  taken  from  the  church." 
— "  Old  Churches,  Ministers,  and  Families  of  V^irginia." 

'  Bishop  Provoost  was  a  very  scholarly  man,  and,  however  peculiar 
in  some  of  his  actions,  was  not  at  all  likely  to  go  contrary  to  his  intel- 
lectual convictions  concerning  the  order  of  the  Church. 


PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH     209 

to  the  suffragan,  who  laboured  there  diligently  and 
acceptably.  The  Rev.  George  Dashiell  (rector  of  S. 
Peter's  Church,  Baltimore,  and  a  preacher  of  consider- 
able reputation)  was  the  chief  conspirator,  and  was 
finally  deposed  from  the  ministry.  This,  however, 
did  not  deter  him  from  undertaking  to  establish  what 
he  called  T/te  Evangelical  Episcopal  Church,  under 
whose  auspices  he  assumed  the  functions  of  a  bishop, 
as  for  example  in  ordaining  ministers.  Three  of  the 
regular  clergy  adhered  to  him,  and  were  likewise  de- 
posed. The  sect  died  out  on  Mr.  Dashiell's  removal 
from  Maryland,  in  1826.  It  may  be  noted  as  rather 
a  strange  coincidence  that  one  of  Mr.  Dashiell's  suc- 
cessors in  the  rectorship  of  S.  Peter's  parish,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  G.  D.  Cummins,  was  the  originator  of  what  is 
styled  The  Reformed  Episcopal  Church. 

By  the  time  the  General  Convention  met  in  1817 
(at  New  York),  the  condition  of  the  Church  had 
become  in  almost  every  diocese  decidedly  more  en- 
couraging. From  the  tone  of  the  reports  made,  it  is 
evident  that  her  members  were  now  becoming  more 
hopeful  as  to  her  future,  and,  from  the  legislation,  that 
they  were  more  alive  to  the  responsibility  resting  upon 
them  to  provide  for  her  inevitable  growth.  Steps 
were  taken  for  the  establishment  of  a  Theological 
Seminary  for  the  Church  at  large,  and  for  occupying 
the  Western  territories  more  fully.  An  effort  was 
made  in  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  to 
obtain  a  specific  condemnation  by  the  Convention  of 
certain  forms  of  amusement,  but  the  House  finally 
declared  that  complete  provision  for  the  purposes  of 


2IO      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Christian  discipline  in  such  cases  already  existed  "  in 
the  Constitution,  Canons,  Rubrics,  Homilies,  and 
Liturgy  of  the  Church."  The  delegate  who  most 
persistently  moved  the  Convention  to  action  in  this 
matter  was  Francis  S.  Key,  who,  although  quite  a 
young  man,  was  a  Lay  Deputy  from  Maryland,  and 
had  already  become  famous  as  the  author  of  "The 
Star-spangled  Banner." 

It  was  at  this  same  Convention  that  the  House  of 
Bishops  was  unsuccessfully  requested  to  specify  some 
edition  of  the  Bible  which  might  be  considered  standard. 
This  request  was  made  because  of  the  circulation  of 
a  large  edition  in  which  the  third  verse  of  the  sixth 
chapter  of  the  Acts  was  made  to  read,  "  whom  jye  may 
appoint  over  this  business."  In  1823,  the  General 
Convention  adopted  as  the  standard  edition  that  pub- 
lished in  1 812  by  Eyre  and  Strahan,  London,  which, 
however,  soon  became  scarce  and  unobtainable.  After- 
wards, preference  was  expressed  for  an  Oxford  edition 
of  1852.  Steps  were  taken  to  ensure  the  correction 
of  all  typographical  errors,  and  it  was  hoped  at  one 
time  that  a  standard  edition  might  be  published  with 
the  joint  imprimatur  of  the  Church  of  England.  This, 
however,  was  found  to  be  impracticable.  In  1892,  it 
was  proposed  in  the  General  Convention  that  the 
authorities  of  the  University  of  Oxford  should  be  asked 
to  print  an  edition  with  a  title-page  indicating  that  it 
was  the  Standard  of  the  American  Church. 

As  showing  the  friendliness  of  the  civil  government 
to  religious  societies,  it  may  be  noted  that  in  18 17  the 
State  of  Connecticut  recovered  from  the  United  States 


I 


PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH    211 

the  sum  of  |6 1,500  for  expenses  incurred  in  the  war 
with  Great  Britain  from  1812  to  18 15.  The  General 
Assembly  voted  to  give  the  amount  so  recovered  to 
the  different  Christian  denominations  in  the  State,  in 
proportion  to  their  numerical  strength.  The  Con- 
gregationalists,  being  still  "the  Standing  Order,"  re- 
ceived the  largest  share.  The  other  bodies  were 
classed  as  "the  Episcopalians  and  the  minor  sects." 
The  trustees  of  the  Bishop's  Fund  asked  and  received 
the  share — one-seventh  of  the  whole  amount — allotted 
to  the  Church. 

It  may  also  be  added  that  in  1820  the  General 
Assembly  made  a  lottery  grant  to  the  same  Board  of 
Trustees,  in  commutation  of  a  claim  which  the  fund 
had  on  a  bank  bonus  paid  to  the  State  in  obtaining 
its  charter,  and  pledged  by  the  petitioners  for  the 
bank  to  the  benefit  of  that  fund.  From  this  source 
a  sum  of  a  little  more  than  $7000  was  received.  An 
amount  nearly  equal  to  it  was  afterwards  lost  by  the 
failure  of  another  bank  in  whose  stock  the  trustees 
had  invested  it. 

Further  evidence  of  the  changed  attitude  towards 
the  Church  was  given  in  1818,  when  an  invitation 
was  extended  by  the  Governor  of  Connecticut,  Oliver 
Wolcott,  to  the  Rev.  Harry  CroswelV  rector  of 
Trinity  Church,  New  Haven,  to  preach  the  Election 
Sermon  before  the  General  Assembly  at  Hartford.  It 
was  the  clergy  of  the  same  diocese  who,  on  the  acces- 
sion of  the  elder  Adams  to  the  Presidency  (1797),  sent 
him  an  address  in  which  they  expressed  their  attach- 
^  See  p.  213. 


212      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

ment  to  the  national  government  and  their  approval  of 
the  measures  adopted  by  its  constituted  authorities. 

The  first  Special  General  Convention  was  held  in 
Philadelphia,  October  1821,  and  is  chiefly  memorable 
from  the  fact  that  by  its  action  in  accepting  a  legacy  of 
^60,000  from  the  estate  of  Jacob  Sherred  the  General 
Theological  Seminary  was  really  founded,  with  its 
home  in  the  city  of  New  York,  upon  ground  generously' 
given  by  Clement  C.  Moore,  Esq.^  This  measure  was 
effected  by  a  consolidation  of  the  two  seminaries 
then  existing  in  New  York  and  New  Haven.  The 
only  strenuous  opposition  to  it  came  from  Virginia, 
whose  deputies  were  anxious  to  found  some  such 
institution  in  connection  with  William  and  Mary 
College.  Their  wishes  were  subsequently  realised  in 
the  establishment  of  the  seminary  which  is  located  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Alexandria.  They  further  ex- 
pressed a  fear  lest  New  York  should  gain  an  undue 
share  of  influence  in  the  management  of  the  proposed 
institution.  There  was  also  in  the  minds  of  some  an 
idea  that  it  would  be  better  for  the  General  Conven- 
tion to  be  free  from  the  oversight  of  such  matters, 
leaving  them  entirely  to  the  various  localities  where 
these  institutions  might  be  desired.  Bishop  White's 
views  were  decidedly  in  this  direction,  as  may  be  seen 
by  his  notes  on  the  proceedings  of  the  Convention.^ 

^  This  liberal  benefactor  of  the  Seminary — he  gave  sixty  city  lots, 
which  have  since  become  very  valuable — was  afterwards  professor  of 
Hebrew  there.  His  name  will  ever  be  dear  to  children  especially,  as 
the  author  of  the  popular  Christmas  ballad,  " 'Twas  the  night  before 
Christmas."     He  was  the  son  of  the  Bishop  of  New  York. 

-  See  p.  292  st^r/. 


PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH    213 

The  Dissenters  could  not  bear  with  equanimity  the 
growing  influence  of  the  Church,  despite  her  yet  com- 
paratively small  numbers.  Among  the  many  attacks 
made  upon  her  at  this  time  was  one  published  (in 
1820)  by  a  Congregationalist  under  the  assumed  name 
of  a  "  Consistent  Churchman."  In  this  pamphlet  the 
most  extravagant  and  uncharitable  claims  were  made, 
ostensibly  on  behalf  of  the  Church.  With  those  who 
believed  that  it  was  a  genuine  publication,  considerable 
harm  was  done.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Harry  Croswell — 
himself  a  convert  from  Congregationalism,  a  devoted 
son  of  the  Church,  and  father  of  his  more  distinguished 
son,  the  Rev.  William  Croswell,  D.D.,  for  many 
years  the  beloved  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Advent, 
Boston — discovered  the  fraud  that  had  been  perpe- 
trated, and  wrote  an  effective  reply,  entitled  "  A  sober 
appeal  to  the  Christian  Public." 

It  was  about  this  time  that  one  of  the  most  notable 
of  the  older  clergy  died — the  Rev.  Richard  Mansfield, 
D.D.,  who  at  his  decease  (in  1820)  was  in  his  ninety- 
seventh  year.  Born  a  Congregationalist,  he  was  led 
by  the  excitements  consequent  upon  Whitefield's 
itineracy  to  investigate  the  claims  of  the  Church,  to 
which  before  long  he  conformed.  He  graduated  from 
Yale  College  with  distinction,  and  immediately  upon 
his  ordination,  in  1748,  assumed  a  position  of  much 
influence.  He  was  the  first  clergyman  of  the  Church 
upon  whom  Yale  conferred  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity.  His  entrance  into  the  Church  had  been 
protested  against  most  vigorously  by  his  whole 
family.     His   sister,   on   hearing   that    he   had   sailed 


214      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

for  England  to  be  ordained,  prayed  that  he  might  be 
lost  at  sea.  He  came  back  with  an  appointment  to 
the  cure  of  Derby,  Connecticut.  Here  he  continued 
to  labour  until  his  death,  for  a  period — still  unequalled 
in  America  as  to  continuous  incumbency — of  seventy- 
two  years.^  In  eulogising  him  at  a  recent  service  in 
which  his  ministry  was  especially  commemorated,  the 
Bishop  of  Connecticut  spoke  of  him  as  a  man  who 
eschewed  evil,  and  to  whom  the  entire  description  of 
the  country  parson  in  Goldsmith's  "  Deserted  Village  " 
might  fairly  be  applied. 

At  the  General  Convention  held  at  Philadelphia  in 
May  1823,  Georgia  was  admitted,  and  the  first  Bishop 
of  North  Carolina  (the  Right  Rev.  John  Stark  Ravens- 
croft,  D.D.)  was  consecrated.2  The  attention  of  the 
bishops  was  again  drawn  by  the  Bishop  of  Ohio  (the 
Right  Rev.  Dr.  Philander  Chase)  to  the  advisability  of 
requiring  all  lay  delegates  to  the  Convention  to  be 
communicants.^  Answer  was  made  to  the  effect  that 
while  such  a  requirement  was  desirable,  it  was  not 
deemed  at  the  present  time  expedient.  It  was  pointed 
out  that  such  an  obligation  in  the  earlier  history  of  the 
American  Church  would  have  effectually  prevented  any 
degree  of  representation,  and,  further,  that  in  the  only 
diocese  where  it  had  been  enacted  it  had  recently  been 


*  The  Rev.  George  Meiklejohn,  of  Virginia,  died  about  the  same 
time,  at  the  age  of  more  than  a  hundred  years. 

'^  This  prelate  (1772-1830),  who  at  one  time  belonged  to  what  were 
known  as  the  "  Republican  Methodists,"  was  a  very  forcible  and 
popular  preacher,  and  through  his  sermons  exerted  a  strong  influence 
in  behalf  of  the  Church. 

^  See  p.  194. 


PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH     215 

repealed.  Some  prejudice  against  it  had  arisen  by 
reason  of  the  operation  of  the  Test  Oath  measures  in 
England. 

The  endorsement  of  the  Convention  was  sought  for 
the  Colonisation  Society,  which  precipitated  a  discus- 
sion (altogether  amiable,  it  would  appear)  of  the  ques- 
tions which  afterwards  bore  upon  the  most  critical 
periods  of  the  nation's  history.  In  the  Convention, 
the  ground  was  taken  that  the  matter  was  rather  politi- 
cal than  religious.  Although  the  Society's  claims  were 
warmly  advocated  by  the  Virginia  delegates,  there  were 
those  in  the  Northern  States  who  thought  its  object 
was  not  so  much  the  diminution  of  the  evils  of  slavery 
as  the  deportation  to  Africa  of  the  negroes  already 
free. 

The  Church  now  began  to  feel  sufficiently  her 
strength  and  responsibility  to  consider  the  necessity 
of  providing  some  academic  and  collegiate  institutions, 
where  her  youth  might  be  educated  under  her  authority 
and  influence,  A  joint  committee  on  the  subject  was 
appointed,  but  their  deliberations  do  not  seem  to  have 
produced  any  immediate  fruit,  unless,  indeed,  the 
opening  in  1824  of  Washington  (afterwards  Trinity) 
College  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  may  be  in  part 
accredited  to  them.^ 

In  the  report  to  this  Convention  on  behalf  of  the 
diocese  of  Massachusetts,  it  is  said  that  during  the 
year  1823  an  attempt  had  been  made  so  to  alter  the 
charter  of  the  parish  at  Marblehead  as  to  convert  it 
into  an  Independent  or  Congregational  society.  The 
1  See  pp.  307,  30S. 


2i6      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

affairs  of  the  parish  had  been  in  a  depressed  condition 
ever  since  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  but  this  attempt 
on  the  part  of  Dissenters  roused  the  latent  energy  of 
the  Churchmen,  and  led  to  the  immediate  calling  of  a 
missionary,^ 

In  Cambridge,  the  parish  had  also  languished  greatly 
from  the  same  period.  The  services  were  maintained 
chiefly  by  lay  readers,  who  were  resident  graduates  of 
Harvard ;  but  at  length,  owing  to  the  ruinous  condition 
of  the  church-building,  public  worship  came  to  an  end. 
In  1823,  Churchmen  numbered  one-seventh  of  all  the 
undergraduates.  They  were  not  allowed  to  go  to 
church  in  Boston,  but  were  compelled  to  attend  the 
worship  of  the  college  chapel,  although  the  President 
of  the  University  expressed  his  desire  to  see  the 
church  repaired  and  reopened. 

Large  numbers  of  English  Church  people  were  at 
this  time  coming  into  Massachusetts,  attracted  by  the 
factories  that  were  erected,  and  the  more  earnest 
clergymen  and  laymen  there  were  alive  to  the  necessity 
of  saving  them  to  the  principles  and  practices  to  which 
they  were  accustomed  in  their  fatherland.  For  want 
of  pastors,  however,  many  were  lost.  This  want  was 
experienced  everywhere  in  the  rapidly-growing  States, 
among  them  especially  North  Carolina,  where  again 
much  benefit  resulted  from  the  appointment  of  la}' 
readers,  by  whose  efforts  in  some  instances  congre- 
gations were   preserved   from   utter   extinction.     The 

^  Upon  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  British  troops,  in  1776,  there 
were  but  three  clergymen  in  the  whole  of  New  England.  In  17S4, 
there  were  but  twenty-one.     In  Pennsylvania,  there  were  only  seven. 


PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH    217 

Rev.  Dr.  Bedell  tells  of  one  such  faithful  labourer 
whom  he  found  in  those  parts,  who  had  for  a  whole 
generation  maintained  regular  services,  until  a  clergy- 
man was  secured  who  came  and  administered  the 
sacraments.  Afterwards  he  was  the  means  of  erecting 
a  church-building  in  what  was  then  a  wilderness.^ 
None  of  these  excelled  Samuel  Gunn,  who,  in  his 
lonely  abode  amid  the  wilds  of  Ohio,  established,  first 
for  his  own  family,  and  then  for  his  neighbours  also, 
regular  liturgical  services.  He  acted  as  chaplain  in 
all  offices  lawful  to  a  layman,  until  a  clergyman  was 
secured,  who  was  obliged  to  travel  fifty  miles.  The 
Prayer-Book  was  valued  so  highly  by  his  neighbours 
as  to  sell  for  twenty  bushels  of  corn.  Mr.  Gunn  died 
in  1832,  but  not  until  he  had  heard  with  rejoicing  of 
the  consecration  of  Bishop  Chase. 

Some  little  excitement  was  caused  in  the  General 
Convention  of  1826  (Philadelphia)  by  a  proposition, 
emanating  from  the  House  of  Bishops,  for  abbreviating 
the  offices  of  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  with  a  view 
to  secure  greater  uniformity  in  the  use  of  "  that  part  of 
the  Communion  Office  which  is  commonly  called  the 
Ante-Communion."  As  originally  made,  it  included  the 
limiting  of  the  use  of  the  Litany  to  seasons  and  days 
especially  appointed  for  humiliation.  This  suggestion 
was  afterwards  withdrawn,  when  it  was  found  how 
great  opposition  to  it  had  been  aroused.  As  finally 
presented,  the  recommendations  were  approved  by  the 
Convention,  subject  to  the  ratification  of  the  different 

1  «•  Early  Clergy,"  by  the  Rev.  S.  F.  Hotchkin,  pp.  369,  370.  See 
also  p.  341  of  this  History. 


2i8      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

dioceses  and  of  the  following  Convention.  But  they 
failed  to  receive  the  assent  of  the  dioceses,  and  so 
were  not  considered  by  the  Convention  of  1829. 

At  this  session,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  were 
admitted  into  union  with  the  Convention.  The  chief 
matter  that  occupied  its  members'  attention  was  a 
request  from  the  diocese  of  Virginia  for  the  consecra- 
tion of  the  Rev.  William  Meade,  D.D.,  as  "Assistant 
or  Suffragan  Bishop."  Personally,  he  was  very  accept- 
able, but  there  had  been  expressly  added  at  the  time 
of  his  election  a  proviso  to  the  effect  that  such  election 
carried  with  it  no  right  of  succession,  thus  practically 
making  the  tenure  of  his  office  to  depend  upon  the 
life  of  the  diocesan.  Strenuous  objections  were  urged 
to  this  proviso,  and  only  on  the  understanding  that 
Virginia  would  rectify  what  was  generally  esteemed  a 
mistake  did  the  Convention  consent  to  the  consecra- 
tion. To  guard  against  similar  cases  in  the  future,  a 
canon  was  passed  whereby  the  right  of  succession  was 
secured  ;  and  Dr.  Meade  was  duly  consecrated. 

The  time  of  the  succeeding  Convention  (New  York, 
1832)  was  largely  occupied  in  settling  another  ques- 
tion arising  out  of  an  episcopal  election,  that  of  the 
Rev.  Charles  P.  M'llvaine  to  the  diocese  of  Ohio.^ 
Bishop  Chase,  owing  chiefly  to  disagreements  between 
himself  and  the  trustees  of  Kenyon  College  (of  which 

^  This  prelate  came  in  time  to  be  one  of  the  most  influential  leaders 
of  what  is  denominated  the  Evangelical  School.  His  ability  and 
courtesy  were  cordially  recognised  by  his  most  determined  opponents. 
During  the  Civil  War  he  was  one  of  four  ambassadors  informally 
appointed  by  President  Abraham  Lincoln  to  represent  to  the  English 
people  what  was  deemed  in  the  North  the  real  significance  of  the  war. 


PERIOD  OF  SLOW  AND  GRADUAL  GROWTH    219 

he  was  President),  had  resigned  his  bishopric  of  Ohio, 
and  removed  to  the  territory  of  Michigan,  not  then  in 
union  with  the  Convention.  The  House  of  Bishops 
was  of  the  opinion  that  such  action  on  his  part  was  not 
in  conformity  with  Church  law,  and  desired  to  make  a 
declaration  to  this  effect,  while  they  were  ready,  in  the 
interests  of  the  diocese,  to  accept  the  actual  situation 
of  affairs.^  The  House  of  Deputies  adopted  a  some- 
what milder  set  of  resolutions,  and  yet  guarded  their 
action  from  being  considered  a  precedent  for  bishops 
resigning  at  their  will  without  the  consent  of  their 
dioceses.  The  two  Houses  agreed  in  approving  Dr. 
M'llvaine's  testimonials,  and  he  was  accordingly  con- 
secrated, in  company  with  Bishops  Hopkins,  B.  B. 
Smith,  and  G.  W.  Doane,  the  largest  number  of 
American  bishops  ever  consecrated  at  one  time,  save 
that  the  same  number  were  consecrated  at  Richmond, 
Virginia,  on  October  13,  1859.  Alabama  and  Michigan, 
the  latter  only  a  territory  at  the  time,  were  admitted 
into  union  with  the  Convention.  A  French  version  of 
the  Prayer-Book  was  duly  authorised.  The  South- 
western diocese  was  made  to  consist  of  Mississippi, 
Alabama,  and  Louisiana. 

By  the  time  the  next  Convention  assembled  (Phila- 
delphia, 1835),  the  Church  began  to  feel  still  more  the 
necessity  for  progressive  legislation.  The  idea  of 
missionary  bishops  was  given  actual  form  by  the 
election  of  the  Rev.   Dr.   Francis  L.   Hawks  ^  to  the 

^  For  Bishop  Griswold's  views  in  favour  of  the  right  of  a  bishop  to 
resign  his  jurisdiction,  see  his  '"  Memoir,"  pp.  373  si/i/, 
•  See  pp.  240,  241. 


220      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

oversight  of  Louisiana,  Florida,  and  Arkansas,  and 
of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Jackson  Kemper^  for  Missouri  and 
Indiana.  The  former  declined,  but  the  latter  accepted 
his  election,  and  was  shortly  afterwards  consecrated. 
Measures  were  adopted  for  facilitating  the  division  of 
dioceses,  it  being  already  manifest  that  the  territory 
comprised  in  some  of  tliem  was  quite  beyond  the 
power  of  any  one  man  to  oversee  properly.  The  con- 
sciousness of  personal  responsibility,  especially  in  the 
missionary  work  of  the  Church,  found  expression  in 
that  provision  of  the  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  by  which  every  baptized  member  of  the  Church 
is  declared  to  be  a  member  also  of  this  Society.  Steps 
were  also  taken  looking  forward  to-  the  consecration 
of  missionary  bishops  for  foreign  lands.  A  German 
version  of  the  Prayer-Book  was  ordered.  In  sub- 
sequent years,  measures  were  adopted  for  issuing 
versions  in  the  Spanish,  Norwegian,  and  Welsh 
languages. 

»  See  p.  245. 


CHAPTER  XI 
SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS 

Bishop  White — His  ordination  in  England — His  early  ministry  in 
Philadelphia — His  appeal  in  the  case  of  Girard  College — The 
relation  of  Christianity  to  the  American  State — Bishop  White's 
death  and  funeral — His  character  and  services — Bishop  Hobart — 
Bishop  Richard  Channing  Moore  —  Bishop  Griswold  —  Bishop 
Philander  Chase — Father  Nash — The  Rev.  Drs.  Milnor,  Sparrow, 
and  S.  F.  Jarvis — The  Oxford  Movement — The  Carey  Ordination 
— Signatures  of  bishops — The  Rev.  Dr.  Francis  L.  Hawks^ 
Bishops  H.  U.  and  B.  T.  Onderdonk — Bishop  Ives — Bishop  G. 
W.  Doane — The  General  Convention  of  1859 — The  Episcopate 
made  coextensive  with  the  national  territory — Bishop  Kemper — 
Bishop  Otey  —  The  University  of  the  South  —  Resolutions  on 
systematic  offerings. 

The  period  at  which  we  have  now  arrived  (1835-6) 
affords  a  convenient  resting-place  from  which  we  may 
glance  backwards,  as  we  consider  some  details  con- 
cerning at  least  a  few  of  the  leading  men  and  events 
that  have  been  thus  far  but  briefly  mentioned. 

The  most  prominent  figure  during  this  part  of  the 
century  was  the  first  bishop  of  Pennsylvania,  the 
Right  Rev.  William  White,  D.D.,  who  was  called  to 
his  rest  in  the  summer  of  1836.  Like  Seabury,  he 
was  notably  a  special  instrument  of  God's  providence 
for  the  founding  of  the  national  Church.  Agreeing  in 
many  things  with  his  illustrious  colleague,  he  had 
entirely    different    characteristics    and    gifts,    which, 


222      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

however,  were  not  less  needful  to  the  great  purpose 
that  they  both  had  so  sincerely  in  view.  His  blessed 
memory  might  well  demand  a  more  extensive  biography 
than  can  be  given  in  this  single  volume.  He  was  born 
in  the  same  city  where  he  lived  and  laboured  so  many 
years,  Philadelphia,  on  March  24,  1747,  Old  Style,  or, 
according  to  the  New  Style,  April  4,  1748.  He  had 
the  advantage  of  a  thorough  education  in  his  youth, 
and  early  showed — as  by  "  playing  church  " — his  pre- 
dilection for  the  sacred  ministry.  He  also  received 
valuable  counsel  and  sympathy  in  his  preparations 
for  his  life-work  from  three  distinguished  clergymen, 
Drs.  Duche,  Peters,  and  Smith.  In  October  1770  he 
sailed  for  England,  and  on  his  arrival  presented  him- 
self with  his  testimonials  to  the  Bishop  of  London  (Dr. 
Richard  Terrick),  by  whose  chaplain  he  was  duly 
examined.  At  the  Ember-season  immediately  follow- 
ing (December  23,  1770),  he  was  ordained  deacon,  in 
the  Chapel  Royal,  S.  James's,  by  Dr.  Young,  Bishop 
of  Norwich.  He  was  obliged  to  remain  in  England 
for  eighteen  months  so  as  to  attain  the  requisite  age 
for  ordination  to  the  priesthood,  which  event  took 
place  in  the  chapel  of  Fulham  Palace  on  S.  Mark's 
Day  1772,  the  Bishop  of  London  officiating.  His 
sojourn  in  England  was  very  agreeable  and  profitable. 
The  account  which  he  gives  of  his  visit  to  different 
places  and  of  his  interviews  with  different  persons  is 
very  entertaining.  Among  other  famous  people,  he 
saw  Canon  Moore  (who  afterwards  took  part  in  con- 
secrating him  bishop),  Canon  Kennicot,  Bishop  Lowth, 
Bishop  Home,  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson,  and  Dr.  Oliver 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  223 

Goldsmith.  In  alluding  to  Dr.  Johnson  (whom  he 
found  engaged  in  preparing  a  new  edition  of  his 
great  dictionary),  he  says  that  the  lexicographer  only 
once  displayed  towards  him  anything  like  harshness 
of  manners.  That  was  when,  in  referring  to  the  con- 
troversy as  to  the  Stamp  Act,  he  said  that  if  he  had 
been  prime  minister  he  would  have  sent  a  ship  of  war 
and  levelled  one  of  the  principal  American  cities  with 
the  ground.  The  young  American  gives  a  sample  of 
the  superficial  examination  in  Hebrew  in  vogue  at  the 
time.  One  of  the  candidates  was  asked,  "  What  is  the 
English  of  Gabbatha  ?  "  Another  was  asked,  "  What 
is  the  Hebrew  of  '  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  Thou 
forsaken  Me  ?  '" 

On  his  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  during  the  early 
autumn  of  1772,  he  assumed  his  duties  as  an  assistant 
minister  of  Christ  Church  and  S.  Peter's,  to  which 
post  he  had  been  elected  while  he  was  still  abroad. 
He  began  his  ministry  at  a  time  of  great  political 
excitement,  into  which,  however,  he  resolutely  refused 
to  be  drawn.  His  natural  inclination  was  to  submit 
to  the  British  rule,  while  not  relinquishing  the  right  of 
appeal  and  remonstrance.  He  continued  to  pray  for 
the  King  up  to  the  very  time  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence.  When  that  event  occurred,  he  felt  it 
his  duty  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  those  who  favoured 
separation  from  the  royal  government,  and  accordingly 
he  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  new  government. 
He  afterwards  served,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Duffield, 
a  Presbyterian  minister,  as  Chaplain  to  the  Con- 
tinental  Congress.      At   one    time   he    was    the   only 


224      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

officiating  Church  clergyman  in  the  State.  Dr.  Duche, 
with  other  clergymen,  had  fled  to  England,  -and  the 
rectorship  of  the  united  churches  had  been  declared 
vacant  by  the  vestry.  Mr.  White  was  thereupon 
chosen  rector.  In  the  spring  of  1782,  he  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  in  Divinity  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  being  the  first  person  to 
whom  this  institution  paid  such  a  compliment. 

We  have  already  dealt  somewhat  with  the  part 
which  he  took  after  peace  was  concluded,  in  1783,  in 
effecting  the  revival  and  reorganisation  of  the  Church. 
Suffice  it  to  say  here  that  his  activity  and  influence 
were  very  largely  instrumental  in  accomplishing  this 
most  important  work.  While  in  some  respects  he 
would  appear  at  times  to  have  been  less  strenuous 
than  others  in  the  maintenance  of  Catholic  principles 
and  precedents,  yet  it  was,  doubtless,  owing  to  his 
conservative  and  concihatory  manners  that  the  laity 
especially  were  despoiled  of  the  prejudices,  born 
chiefly  of  political  considerations,  which  occasionally 
threatened  the  welfare  of  the  infant  Church. 

Deeply  interested  as  he  always  was  in  the  affairs 
of  the  Church  at  large,  he  did  not  neglect  his  duties 
as  pastor,  even  after  his  consecration  to  the  Episco- 
pate (of  which  we  have  already  given  an  account),  but 
was  ever  most  diligent  and  faithful  in  discharging 
them.  In  1793,  Philadelphia  suffered  greatly  from  the 
ravages  of  the  yellow  fever.  As  far  as  possible,  the 
citizens  in  general  fled  to  the  country;  but  Bishop 
White  remained  at  his  post,  and  ministered  un- 
flinchingly to  all  whom  he  could  aid  in  any  way.     At 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  225 

a  later  period  of  his  life  (1832),  although  he  was  over 
eighty  years  of  age,  he  was  none  the  less  diligent  in 
visiting  those  who  were  attacked  by  Asiatic  cholera. 

His  interest  in  public  affairs,  always  keen,  remained 
with  him  through  life.  Shortly  before  his  death,  he 
gave  a  proof  of  this  in  several  communications  on  the 
subject  of  that  provision  in  Stephen  Girard's  will  by 
which  ministers  of  all  denominations  were  to  be  ex- 
cluded from  visiting  the  college  which  he  was  about 
to  found.  As  it  is  a  matter  of  interest  on  several 
accounts,  the  extract  from  Mr.  Girard's  will  bearing 
upon  this  point  is  here  quoted  in  full :  "  I  enjoin  and 
require  that  no  ecclesiastic,  missionary,  or  minister,  of 
any  sect  whatsoever,  shall  ever  hold  or  exercise  any 
station  or  duty  whatever  in  the  said  college ;  nor  shall 
any  such  person  ever  be  admitted  for  any  purpose,  or 
as  a  visitor,  within  the  premises  appropriated  to  the 
purposes  of  the  said  college.  In  making  this  restric- 
tion, I  do  not  mean  to  cast  any  reflection  upon  any 
sect  or  person  whatsoever;  but  as  there  is  such  a 
multitude  of  sects,  and  such  a  diversity  of  opinion 
amongst  them,  I  desire  to  keep  the  tender  minds  of 
the  orphans  who  are  to  derive  advantage  from  this 
bequest  free  from  the  excitement  which  clashing 
doctrines  and  sectarian  controversy  are  so  apt  to 
produce. 

"  My  desire  is  that  all  the  instructors  and  teachers 
in  the  college  shall  take  pains  to  instil  into  the  minds 
of  the  scholars  the  purest  principles  of  morality,  so 
that,  on  their  entrance  into  active  life,  they  may,  from 
inclination  and  habit,  evince  benevolence  towards  their 


226      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

fellow-creatures,  and  a  love  of  truth,  sobriety,  and 
industry,  adopting  at  the  same  time  such  religious 
tenets  as  their  matured  reason  may  enable  them  to 
prefer." 

Bishop  White,  in  advising  the  members  of  the  City 
Council  to  reject  the  trust  intended  to  be  instituted 
by  Mr.  Girard,  based  his  argument  upon  the  evils 
v^hich  vi^ould  result  from  such  an  acknowledgment ;  as 
its  acceptance  would  imply  that  religion,  even  in  its 
simplest  forms,  is  unnecessary  to  the  binding  of  men 
to  their  various  duties.  In  the  course  of  his  first  com- 
munication, he  reminded  his  fellow-citizens  that  "in 
Pennsylvania  the  first  legislative  act  of  its  founder  was 
to  affirm  the  being  of  a  God,  and  the  divine  authority 
of  the  Christian  religion,"  and  that  these  truths  had 
been  held  as  a  part  of  the  law  of  the  land,  and  had 
been  recognised  as  such  by  the  courts  of  justice. 

The  trust  was  accepted,  and  those  who  recom- 
mended this  course  were  convinced,  as  the  Bishop 
himself  pointed  out,  that  Christianity  being  recognised 
by  the  courts  as  the  common  law  of  the  land,  it  would 
not  be  a  violation  of  the  trust  to  give,  through  the 
instrumentaHty  of  laymen,  Christian  instruction.  Upon 
such  instruction,  they  argued,  "  the  purest  principles  of 
morality  "  are  of  necessity  based.  Accordingly  it  has 
happened,  by  a  special  providence,  that  those  who 
have  throughout  been  chiefly  responsible  for  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  college  and  for  the  education  of  its 
inmates  have  been  men  of  pronounced  religious  and 
Christian  views ;  and  no  court  has  been  found  that 
would  give  the  vigilant  family-heirs  any  encouragement 


•      SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  227 

to  bring  action  against  the  trustees  on  the  ground  of 
going  contrary  to  the  express  stipulations  of  the  will. 

This  may  be  a  convenient  place  for  a  few  remarks 
upon  the  general  question  of  the  State's  recognition 
of  Christianity.  In  the  civil  courts  of  the  United 
States  there  have  been  numerous  attempts  on  the  part 
of  its  opponents  to  dispute  its  obligation,  because  of 
there  being  no  distinct  national  enactment  in  its  behalf. 
But  the  judgments  against  such  complainants  have  been 
from  the  beginning  clear  and  strong.  Chancellor  Kent, 
of  New  York,  who  is  still  recognised  as  a  leading  legal 
authority,  decided  such  a  case  in  181 1,  at  which  time 
he  said:  "The  people  of  this  State,  in  common  with 
the  people  of  this  country,  profess  the  general  doctrines 
of  Christianity  as  their  faith  and  practice."  "  True," 
he  went  on  to  declare,  "  the  Constitution  has  discarded 
religious  establishments."  But  what  then  ?  "  It  does 
not  forbid  judicial  cognizance  of  those  offences  against 
religion  and  morality  which  have  no  reference  to  any 
such  establishment,  or  to  any  particular  form  of  govern- 
ment, but  are  punishable  because  they  strike  at  the 
root  of  moral  obligation  and  weaken  the  security  of 
social  ties."  He  added:  "To  construe  it  as  break- 
ing down  the  common-law  barriers  against  licentious, 
wanton,  and  impious  attacks  upon  Christianity  itself, 
would  be  an  enormous  perversion  of  its  meaning."  ^ 

The  Supreme  Court   of  Pennsylvania  subsequently 

declared  that  "  Even  if  Christianity  were  not  a  part  of 

the  law  of  the  land,  it  is  the  popular  religion  of  the 

country;    an  insult   to  which  would   be   indictable   as 

^  8  Johns,  290. 


228      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

tending  to  disturb  the  public  peace  ;  "  adding  that  "  No 
society  can  tolerate  a  wilful  and  despiteful  attempt  to 
subvert  its  religion."^  The  same  court  annulled  a 
will  made  in  favour  of  a  society  of  atheists,  on  the 
ground  that  the  State-law  recognised  none  but  literary, 
charitable,  and  religious  societies. 

One  more  quotation  will  suffice  to  cover  the  point 
now  under  discussion.  It  is  from  a  sermon  entitled 
"  Christianity  and  the  Common  Law  " :  ^  "  While  the 
laws  may  nominally  tolerate  every  religion,  it  is  useless 
to  deny  that  practically  in  the  inevitable  prejudices  of 
the  people,  no  other  than  the  Christian  religion  is  at 
home  in  America.  ...  So  that  the  question  is  not  so 
much  whether  Christianity  be  a  part  of  the  common 
law  as  that  the  law,  for  its  own  permanence,  be 
approved  by  Christianity.  Law  exists  so  long  as 
public  opinion  permits  it  to  exist.  The  public  opinion 
of  this  country  is  Christian  opinion :  therefore  law 
lives  or  dies  at  the  bidding  of  Christianity,  and  not 
Christianity  at  the  bidding  of  the  law." 

This  digression  has  been  somewhat  lengthened  be- 
cause in  giving  a  history  of  the  Church  in  America, 
where  she  has  in  no  direct  way  the  patronage  of  the 
State,^  the  history  of  Christianity   necessarily  passes 

^  II  Serg.  &  R.  394. 

=  By  the  Rev.  Wm.  II.  Pktt,  D.D. 

'  It  may  perhaps  be  said  indirectly  to  recognise  Christianity  as  the 
religion  of  the  country  by  the  appointment  and  support  of  chaplains 
for  the  Army  and  Navy.  In  1844,  a  member  of  Congress  offered  an 
amendment  to  the  Appropriation  Bill,  striking  out  the  section  in  which 
provision  was  made  for  the  salaries  of  chaplains,  on  the  ground  that 
the  expenditure  was  unnecessary,  useless,  and  unconstitutional.  Some 
admirable  speeches,  full  of  religious  sentiment,  were  made  against  the 
amendment,  which  was  finally  lost  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote. 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  229 

under  review,  and   its   true   position   in   the  Republic 
becomes  a  matter  of  pertinence  and  importance.^ 

To  return  to  Bishop  White.  He  continued  in  the 
possession  of  unusually  good  health,  which  enabled 
him  to  labour  unceasingly  with  his  accustomed  devo- 
tion. On  the  last  Sunday  in  June,  1836,  he  preached 
with  uncommon  vigour  at  S.  Peter's  Church.  Shortly 
afterwards,  he  began  to  fail  rapidly,  and  died  in 
Philadelphia"  on  July  17,  in  the  eighty-ninth  year  of 
his  age  and  the  fiftieth  of  his  episcopate.  The  whole 
community  felt  his  loss  as  a  personal  bereavement. 
Even  staid  Friends  were  wont  to  speak  of  him  as 
"our  bishop."  On  the  day  of  his  funeral  there  was, 
by  common  consent,  a  suspension  of  public  business. 
All  orders  of  citizens  joined  in  the  procession,  which 
was  witnessed,  it  is  computed,  by  not  less  than  20,000 
persons.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  American  Churchman 
has  died  amid  more  general  and  genuine  expressions 
of  affection  and  veneration.  And  deservedly  so;  his 
personal  life,  his  mental  capacity,  his  loyalty  to  the 
principles  of  the  Church,  and  his  unwearied  labours 
in  her  behalf  will  always  entitle  him  to  an  honourable 
post  in  the  front  rank  of  her  members.^  While  at 
times  he  is  quoted  first  by  one  party  in  the  Church 

^  See  the  religious  character  of  the  early  Charters,  pp.  i,  4,  5>  20-22. 

^  His  death  took  place  at  the  dwelling,  in  Walnut  Street,  where  he 
had  lived  for  over  fifty  years. 

i*  As  an  illustration  of  his  unselfish  and  fervent  interest  in  the 
missionary  work  of  the  Church,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  towards  the 
end  of  his  life  the  treasury  of  the  newly-formed  Domestic  and  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  was  in  such  an  impoverished  condition  that  immedi- 
ate steps  for  its  relief  were  necessary.  Bishop  White  stepped  forw  ard 
and  pledged  his  private  credit  for  this  purpose  to  the  amount  of  $4cco. 


230      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

and  then  by  anotlicr,  he  himself  abhorred  anything 
like  partisanship.^  He  loved  the  truth,  and  while  he 
spoke  it  always  candidly,  he  was  ever  most  urbane 
and  gentle;  and  witlial,  he  was  unaffectedly  modest 
and  retiring.  His  sermons  were  carefully  composed, 
but  his  manner  of  delivery  was  not  such  as  to  make 
him  a  popular  preacher.  His  writings,  however,  and 
the  more  his  deeds,  have  outlived  the  fickle  applause 
of  the  multitude,  and  he  will  ever  be  remembered  as 
a  true  man  and  a  faithful  shepherd. 

It  is  natural  in  connection  with  Bishop  Whfte  to 
give  some  account  of  Bishop  Hobart.  While  in  some 
respects  they  were  quite  dissimilar,  there  existed  be- 
tween them  great  intimacy  and  affection,  and  by  the 
very  contrast  in  their  characters  they  were  enabled 
the  more  to  benefit  that  Church  to  which  they  were 
so  ardently  attached.  John  Henry  Hobart  was  born 
in  Philadelphia  in  the  year  1775,  and  died  in  Auburn, 
New  York,  September  12,  1830.  The  permanent  in- 
fluence which  he  exerted  would  seem  to  belong  to  a 
man  of  more  years,  but  the  circumstances  of  the  times 
in  which  he  lived,  as  well  as  his  strong  characteristics, 
compelled  him  to  be  a  controversialist.  He  had  a 
ready  pen,  and  was  among  the  bravest  of  men.    While 


^  On  the  occasion  of  the  Pennsylvania  Convention  held  in  1826  for 
the  election  of  an  assistant  bishop,  when  party  feeling  ran  very  high, 
one  of  the  clerical  members,  during  an  exciting  debate,  referred  to 
Bishop  White  as  a  Low  Churchman.  He  immediately  rose  and,  after 
apologising  for  intervening  in  the  discussion,  said  that  as  the  word  was 
used  in  England,  and  a  hundred  years  ago,  he  might  perhaps  be  called 
a  Low  Churchman.  "But,"  he  added  with  great  emphasis,  "as  the 
word  is  understood  in  this  country  and  among  us  now,  you  might  as 
well  call  me  a  Turk  or  a  Jew."     See  "  Life  of  Bp.  Hopkins,"  p.  loi. 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  231 

he  encountered  not  a  little  bitter  and  unjust  opposition, 
3'et  he  had  no  warmer  friends  than  some  of  those  who 
differed  from  his  ecclesiastical  views.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
John  M.  Mason,  a  distinguished  Calvinistic  divine, 
was  perhaps  his  most  determined  foe,  and  this  was  his 
testimony  :  "  Were  I  compelled  to  entrust  the  safety 
of  my  country  to  any  one  man,  that  man  should  be 
John  Henry  Hobart."  At  his  ordination  to  the  priestr 
hood  (in  1800)  he  was  appointed  an  assistant  minister 
of  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  of  which  parish  he 
subsequently  became  rector.  While  serving  in  this 
capacity,  he  was  elected  assistant  bishop  of  the  diocese 
(181 1),  and  upon  Bishop  Moore's  death  (1816)  he 
succeeded  to  the  bishopric.  He  laboured  incessantly 
in  the  discharge  of  the  manifold  duties  pertaining  to 
the  care  of  a  large  territory  and  of  rapidly  multiplying 
churches.  He  was  an  effective  preacher,  and  diligent 
in  writing  and  editing  volumes  of  a  theological  descrip- 
tion, some  of  which  (especially  his  "  Festivals  and 
Fasts")  reached  a  number  of  editions.  His  "Apology 
for  ApostoUc  Order  "  still  remains  a  valued  text-book. 
He  was  very  active  in  promoting  the  establishment  of 
the  General  Theological  Seminary,  and  various  organi- 
sations for  Church  work.  His  reputation  as  a  learned, 
loyal,  and  intrepid  Churchman  grew  year  by  year,  until 
his  advice  was  sought  on  every  hand.  In  the  various 
gatherings  of  the  clergy  and  laity  which  he  attended, 
he  became  almost  essential,  so  that  it  was  hardly  any 
exaggeration  to  speak  of  him,  as  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lyell 
of  New  York  did,  as  "  one  who  in  the  councils  of  the 
Church,  if  he  were  present  it  seemed  that  all  were 


232      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

present  there,  and  who  if  he  were  missing  no  one 
could  fill  his  place."  His  episcopate  has  been  termed 
an  epoch  or  turning-point  in  the  history  of  the  Ameri- 
can Church.  Unquestionably,  it  was  very  fruitful  of 
substantial  growth  ;  and  his  name  must  ever  have  a 
high  place  among  our  ecclesiastical  heroes.  His  well- 
known  motto  was  "  Evangelical  Truth  and  Apostolic 
Order." 

Bishop  Richard  Channing  Moore  was  Bishop  of 
Virginia  for  nearly  thirty  years  (i 8 14-41),  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  recovering  that  diocese  from 
the  low  state  in  which  it  was  at  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century.  He  came  with  a  wide  reputation 
for  piety  and  devotion,  as  also  for  ability  in  preaching. 
As  to  the  latter  point,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  on  a 
certain  occasion,  while  rector  of  S.  Andrew's  Church, 
Richmond,  New  York,  he  was  called  upon  at  the  end 
of  a  long  sermon  to  preach  another  immediately. 
This  done,  the  congregation  insisted  upon  having  a 
third,  and  were  only  dissuaded  from  asking  for  a 
fourth  when  they  saw  that  the  preacher  was  com- 
pletely exhausted.  He  died  in  his  eightieth  year,  in 
the  midst  of  a  laborious  visitation.  He  should  be 
gratefully  remembered  by  the  whole  Church  as  one 
of  the  first  to  advocate  what  is  still  so  much  needed, 
systematic  giving.  His  arguments  on  this  score,  how- 
ever so  forcible,  were  a  novelty  to  the  majority  of  his 
hearers. 

Bishop  Griswold  (born  1766,  died  1843)  stands  out 
easily  as  one  of  the  prominent  ecclesiastical  figures  in 
this  period.     He  was   a  precocious   child,  and  early 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  233 

studied  law,  which  profession  he  abandoned  in  1794, 
being  ordained  deacon  in  the  summer  of  the  follow- 
ing year.     When  he  was  first  chosen,  in  18 10,  Bishop 
of  what  then  became  known  as  the  Eastern  Diocese,^ 
he  modestly  and  yet  firmly  declined  the  election,  only 
yielding  at    last    to    the   importunity    of  friends    who 
clearly    recognised    his    qualifications    for   this    office. 
His  field  was  a  very  extensive  one,  and  he  cultivated 
it  most  assiduously.     For  a  while  he  was  the   pre- 
siding bishop.     He  was  obliged  by    failing  health   to 
have  an  assistant,  and  it  was  while  in  the  act  of  call- 
ing upon  him  (Bishop  Eastburn)  that  he  fell  dead  at 
the  door.     Many  anecdotes  are  told  of  him,  illustrating 
his  faithful  performance  of  duty,  his  ready  wit,  and  his 
unquestioned  sanctity  of  life.     It  may    not    be   amiss 
to  put  two  or  three  of  them  on  record  here.     In  the 
course  of  one  of  his  visitations,  it  became   necessary 
for  him  to  cross  Narragansett  Bay,  in  order  to   keep 
an  appointment  at  Wickford.     A  fierce  gale  was  blow- 
ing, and  the  regular  ferry-packet  was  withdrawn  for 
the    day.     The    Bishop    induced  a    brave    seaman    to 
attempt  the  passage  in  an  open  sail-boat.     When  mid- 
way, he  declared  that  he  would  not  go  any  further, 
the  risk  was  so  great.     On  learning  that   his  appre- 
hensions were  chiefly  because   there  was   not  ballast 
enough,   the  Bishop  at   once  cast   himself  full-length 
upon  his  face  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat,   and    so, 

'  This  term  was  originally  meant  to  include  Massachusetts  (which  in 
turn  comprised  what  is  now  called  Maine),  Rhode  Island,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  Vermont.  Formed  in  1810,  it  gradually  became  smaller  and 
smaller,  by  reason  of  the  erection  of  separate  and  independent  dioceses, 
usitil  in  1842  it  wa5  entirely  dissolved. 


234      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

after  much  further  toil  and  peril,  reached  the  shore, — 
only  to  find  an  empty  church,  as  both  rector  and 
people  had  given  up  all  expectation  of  seeing  him. 

At  a  gathering  in  his  diocese  some  of  his  clergy, 
in  alluding  to  one  of  their  number  well-known  for  his 
eccentricities,  and  yet  for  whose  self-denyi/ig  zeal  the 
Bishop  had  a  great  regard,  said  to  him,  "  Bishop,  do 

you  know  that  Mr. is  mad  ?  "     "  Is  he  ?  "     "  Oh 

yes,  he  is  stark  mad."  "Then,"  replied  the  Bishop,  "  I 
wish  he  would  bite  some  of  my  other  clergy." 

A  Dissenter,  who  made  loud  professions  of  his 
goodness,  once  approached  the  Bishop  with  the  in- 
quiry, "  Bishop,  do  you  think  there  is  any  vital  piety 
in  the  Episcopal  Church  ?  "  With  an  amiable  smile 
and  downcast  looks,  he  replied,  "  None  to  speak  of." 

In  one  of  his  early  parishes,  a  formal  legal  contract 
was  entered  into  between  himself  and  the  congrega- 
tion, in  which  it  was  expressly  stipulated  that  "  the 
said  Griswold  have  liberty  to  attend  Conventions  and 
Convocations  of  the  clergy,  and  to  obey  the  directions 
of  his  Diocesan." 

Strong  efforts  were  made  in  the  beginning  of 
his  ministry  to  find  out  to  which  of  the  political 
parties  he  belonged,  for  then  it  was  common,  as 
now  happily  it  is  not,  for  clergymen  to  become  even 
political  leaders.  After  a  number  of  vain  atten  pts 
on  the  part  of  various  friends,  he  was  asked  directl}', 
"  Which  is  your  party  ?  "  He  answered  gently,  "  My 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world." 

As  showing  the  poverty  of  the  times  and  his  own 
simplicity,    it   may    be   mentioned    that    part   of    his 


•     SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  235 

support  in  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  was  earned 
by  actual  labour  (at  75  cents  a  day)  on  a  farm,  where 
he  was  reckoned  among  the  best  of  the  workmen. 

Another  notable  bishop  at  this  period  was  the 
Right  Rev.  Dr.  Philander  Chase,  whose  distinct  per- 
sonality connects  him  with  some  of  the  most  romantic 
events  of  his  day.  Stories  of  a  deeply  interesting 
kind  abound,  descriptive  of  the  heroic  zeal  and  self- 
sacrifice  with  which  he  travelled  and  laboured  in  days 
that  were  especially  full  of  difficulty  and  discourage- 
ment. He  had  great  faith  in  the  future  growth  of 
the  Church,  and  although  he  had  to  do  much  of 
the  pioneer  work  alone,  and  amid  not  a  little  faint- 
heartedness and  prejudice  on  the  part  of  others,  his 
buoyancy  never  forsook  him.  Before  becoming  Bishop 
of  Ohio,  he  laboured  at  Poughkeepsie  and  Fishkill, 
New  York,  and  afterwards  at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana, 
and  Hartford,  Connecticut.  Moved  by  the  tidings 
which  he  received  of  the  spiritual  destitution  of  what 
was  then  the  western  frontier,  he  went  in  1 817  to 
Ohio,  of  which  diocese  he  was  consecrated  bishop 
in  1 8 19.  Helped  very  largely  (almost  exclusively) 
by  generous  gifts  of  money  obtained  by  himself 
during  an  extended  visit  to  England,  he  bought  a 
large  tract  of  land  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
laid  the  foundations  of  those  valuable  institutions  now 
belonging  and  alHed  to  Kenyon  College,  at  Gam- 
bier.^  Afterwards,  he  received  large  sums  of  money 
from  American  Churchmen.     In  1831,  he  resigned  his 

^  Both  of  these  names  commemorate  liberal  benefactions  on  the  part 
of  English  noblemen. 


236      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

jurisdiction  and  removed  the  next  year  to  Michigan, 
wliere  he  remained  until  1835,  when  he  was' chosen 
first  Bishop  of  Illinois,  without  salary  or  house.  By 
means  of  money  chiefly  raised  by  him  during  a 
second  visit  to  England,  he  was  enabled  to  found 
Jubilee  College.  He  died  in  1852,  in  the  seventy- 
eighth  year  of  his  age,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  man  of 
marked  intellectual  ability,  who  had  for  a  year  been  his 
assistant,  the  Right  Rev.  Henry  J.  Whitehouse,  D.D.^ 

Among  the  priests  of  this  period  who  deserve  to  be 
especially  mentioned  is  the  Rev.  Daniel  Nash,  who  for 
a  period  of  forty  years  (1797-1836)  laboured  unceas- 
ingly and  efficiently  as  a  missionary  in  Otsego  and 
Chenango  counties.  New  York,  and'  who  was  every- 
where affectionately  styled  Father  Nash.  For  a  great 
part  of  his  life,  he  dwelt  contentedly  with  his  wife 
and  children  in  a  one-room  cabin  of  unhewn  logs. 
The  beneficial  influence  of  his  life  and  work  is  still 
perceptible. 

The  Rev.  James  Milnor,  D.D.  (1773-1844),  was 
during  his  prime  the  recognised  leader  of  those  who 
belonged  to  what  is  called  the  Evangelical  party. 
This  was  not  so  much  from  any  great  natural  ability 
as  from  his  general  character  and  attainments.  He 
was  for  many  years  rector  of  S.  George's  Church, 
New  York,  and  prominently  identified  with  the  chief 
benevolent  and  missionary  societies  of  the  city. 

The  Rev.  William  Sparrow,  D.D.  (i 801-1 874),  was 
also  very  influential  in  the  same  circles,  and  especi- 
ally among  the  young  men  studying  at  the  Virginia 
*  See  p.  260. 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  237 

Theological  Seminary,  where  he  displayed  much  talent 
as  a  teacher  and  sermoniser.  A  favourite  remark  of 
his  is  worth  recording:  "A  Church  without  a  creed 
or  confession  is  like  a  ship  on  the  high  seas  without 
a  flag — an  ecclesiastical  pirate." 

Among  the  more  scholarly  priests  of  this  period, 
none  enjoyed  greater  prominence  than  the  Rev,  Samuel 
Farmar  Jarvis,  D.D.  (1786-185 1),  whose  learning, 
while  it  embraced  a  remarkably  wide  range,  was 
unusually  accurate.  He  made  his  researches  most 
conscientiously,  and,  having  a  very  retentive  memory, 
his  services,  especially  to  the  cause  of  ecclesiastical 
history,  were  invaluable.  He  held  several  professorial 
chairs,  and  was  elected  by  the  General  Convention  of 
1838  Church  Historiographer.  This  office  he  retained 
until  his  death. 

America  shared  largely  in  the  excitement  growing 
out  of  what  is  known  as  the  Oxford  Movement.  It 
manifested  itself  in  various  ways,  but  was  chiefly  ex- 
hibited in  the  proceedings  of  the  General  Convention 
of  1844,  and  in  the  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  Every  bishop, 
and  many  other  clergymen,  had  been  more  or  less 
questioned  on  the  subject  more  particularly  of  the 
Tracts,  and  especially  of  Tract  XC.  In  the  General 
Convention,  a  very  earnest  and  able  debate  took  place. 
Some  wished  that  a  declaration,  either  by  the  House 
of  Bishops  alone,  or  by  that  House  with  the  concur- 
rence of  the  other,  should  be  set  forth,  in  which  the 
mind  of  the  Church  should  be  known  concerning  the 
questions  in  controversy.      Finally,   resolutions  were 


238      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

adopted  in  which  it  was  declared  that  the  Faith  was 
already  sufficiently  proclaimed  in  the  formularies  of 
the  Church,  and  that  her  canons  were  ample  to  govern 
any  cases  of  supposed  heterodoxy.  As  to  the  Seminary, 
a  formal  visitation  of  the  institution  was  made  by  the 
bishops  in  a  body,  with  the  result  of  quieting  the  minds 
which  had  been  so  much  exercised  as  to  the  loyalty 
of  the  instruction  therein  given.  As  illustrative  of  the 
feeling  then  existing,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  upon 
its  being  proposed  to  republish  Dr.  Hook's  famous 
sermon  "  Hear  the  Church  "  and  the  Oxford  Tracts, 
and  to  give  the  proceeds  of  their  sales  to  the  Seminary, 
some  of  the  trustees  protested  so  violently  against  the 
suggestion  that  the  plan  was  abandoned. 

Fuel  had  been  added  to  the  flames  by  the  incidents 
connected  with  the  Carey  Ordination  in  New  York, 
as  to  which  nearly  the  whole  Church  in  time  took 
sides.  Arthur  Carey,  a  young  man  of  unusual  ability 
and  promise,  had  graduated  from  the  Seminary  in 
1842,  too  young  for  ordination.  His  views  were  sup- 
posed by  some  to  be  unsound.  They  were,  however, 
simply  catholic,  and  such  as  would  not  now  attract 
any  especial  comment.  Two  prominent  New  York 
clergymen  (Drs.  Anthon  and  Smith)  protested  against 
his  ordination.  The  Bishop  (Dr.  B.  T.  Onderdonk) 
summoned  some  of  his  ablest  priests,  who  examined 
Mr.  Carey,  and  declared  themselves  entirely  satisfied 
with  his  theological  views,  which  he  proved  to  be 
in  accordance  with  those  held  by  eminent  Anglican 
divines.  The  clergymen  already  named  repaired  to 
the  church  where  he  was  to  be  ordained,  and  again 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  239 

protested,  publicly,  against  his  ordination ;  but  the 
Bishop  proceeded.  A  war  of  pamphlets  ensued,  and 
the  matter  was  passed  upon  by  the  Conventions  of 
several  dioceses. 

As  showing  the  condition  of  the  ecclesiastical  mind 
of  this  period,  a  complaint  may  be  cited  which  some 
Pennsjdvania  laymen  made  to  the  Bishop  concerning 
their  rector.  It  was  because  the  rector  used  what 
the  laymen  styled  "  an  altar  card,"  which  was  simply 
a  piece  of  pasteboard  with  the  Prayer  of  Consecration 
printed  on  it.  In  writing  to  the  Bishop  concerning 
the  matter,  the  rector  remarked  :  "  The  same  persons 
who  have  talked  about  the  above  were  greatly  facetious 
about  the  surplice,  and  perfectly  clamorous  at  the 
introduction  of  the  chants."  Among  things  that  then 
caused  alarm  and  controversy,  were  the  decoration  of 
churches  at  Christmas  with  evergreens,  stained  glass 
with  figures  for  church  windows,  reading  the  Ante- 
Communion  service  at  the  altar  instead  of  at  the 
reading-desk.  The  introduction  of  lecterns,  and 
prayer-desks  at  the  sides  of  the  chancel,  were  also 
obstinately  resisted.  When  the  Veiitte  was  first 
chanted,  it  was  called  "singing  prose,"  and  the  people 
mimicked  the  tune.  The  people  generally  sat  during 
the  chanting  and  singing,  except  at  the  Gloria  Patri. 
No  wonder  if  under  such  circumstances  a  writer  (1840), 
in  advocating  more  frequent  celebrations,  was  forced  to 
say,  "  Monthly  Communion  is  perhaps  nearly  all  that 
we  can  accomplish  in  the  present  state  of  things." 

In  the  Maryland  Convention  of  1844  ^  clergyman 
oflcred   a   resolution    requiring    the    Bishop    to    sign 


240      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

himself  "  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  Maryland  "  instead  of  "  Bishop  of  Maryland:"  The 
Bishop  (Whittingham)  ruled  the  resolution  out  of 
order.^ 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  General  Conven- 
tion of  1844.  This  Convention  was  memorable  for 
an  incident  connected  with  one  of  the  most  eminent 
clergymen  of  his  day,  the  Rev.  Francis  L.  Hawks, 
D.D.  In  general  and  ecclesiastical  learning  he  was 
hardly  equalled  by  any  of  his  colleagues,^  while  as  a 
pulpit  orator  he  was  surpassed  by  none.^  Those  who 
heard  him  will  never  forget  his  mai"velIously  rich  and 
sonorous  voice,  and  the  impressive  manner  in  which 
he  rendered  the  Church  Service.  He  had  attained  to 
wide  celebrity  at  the  bar,  but  early  abandoned  it  for 
the  sacred  ministry.  In  1835  he  was  chosen  mission- 
ary bishop  of  Louisiana,  Arkansas,  and  Florida,  but 
declined  the  appointment.  In  1844  his  election  as 
Bishop  of  Mississippi  was  under  consideration  by  the 
General  Convention.  Charges  of  ill-regulatcd  temper, 
financial  dishonesty,  &c.,  were  brought  against  him, 
and  it  was  in  answer  to  them  that  he  made  what  was 
generally  thought  to  be   the   greatest   speech  of  his 

^  Bishop  Seabury  used  various  forms  of  signature,  e.^.,  "  Samuel 
Connecticut"  (this  rarely),  "  S.  Bp.  Connect.,"  and  "Samuel,  Bp.  Epl. 
Ch.,  Connect."  His  successor  (Bishop  Jarvis)  signed  his  Registry  of 
Ordinations  as  follows  :  "  By  us,  Abraham,  Bishop  of  Connecticut." 

*  He  was  especially  interested  in  historical  matters,  and  rendered 
invaluable  service  as  the  Historiographer  of  the  Church,  which  office  he 
held  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  succeeded  in  this  office  by  the 
present  B'shop  of  Iowa,  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  William  Stevens  Perry, 
■whose  varied  and  continuous  labours  in  this  department  have  laid  the 
Church  under  great  obligations  to  him. 

^  He  has  been  styled  "The  Chrysostom  of  the  American  Church."   - 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  241 

life,  and  one  that  created  a  profound  impression  upon 
all  who  heard  it.  After  a  long  and  exciting  discus- 
sion, the  House  relegated  the  matter  to  the  diocese. 
Although  unanimously  re-elected,  he  declined,  as  he  did 
also  subsequently  (in  1852)  an  election  to  the  diocese 
of  Rhode  Island.  After  serving  several  parishes  with 
much  distinction,  he  died  in  1866. 

It  was  at  the  General  Convention  of  1844  that  the 
Right  Rev.  Henry  U.  Onderdonk,  D.D.,  Bishop  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  suspended  from  all  public  exercise 
of  his  ministerial  functions  by  reason  of  his  intemper- 
ance, which  he  candidly  and  penitently  confessed.  In 
1856  he  was  restored  to  his  proper  functions,  in  ac- 
cordance with  numerous  requests  made  to  the  House 
of  Bishops,  and  general  satisfaction  was  expressed  in 
this  testimony  to  the  blameless  life  which  he  had  led 
during  the  whole  period  of  his  suspension.  Large 
congregations  gladly  gathered  to  hear  him  again,  for 
as  a  preacher  he  had  great  ability,  and  personally  he 
was  much  beloved.  His  brother,  the  Right  Rev.  Dr. 
Benjamin  T.  Onderdonk,  Bishop  of  New  York,  was 
charged  with  immorality,  and  was  tried  before  a  court 
of  bishops,  which  was  in  session  from  December  11, 
1844,  to  January  3,  1845.  He  was  suspended,  but  at 
no  time  did  he  acknowledge  his  guilt.  While  he 
allowed  that  he  might  have  been  indiscreet,  he  de- 
clared that  he  was  not  the  slave  of  deliberate  impurity 
of  intention.  He,  however,  in  no  way  contemned  the 
sentence,  but  led  a  quiet  and  approved  life,  retaining 
to  its  very  close  the  warmest  affection  and  confidence 

of  his  numerous  friends.     More  than  once  his  diocese 

o 


242      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

made  strenuous  efforts  to  obtain  a  remission  of  his 
sentence,  but  without  avail.  Rehef  was  sought  from 
the  anomalous  position  in  which  the  diocese  was 
placed,  and  finally  a  canon  was  passed  by  which  a 
provisional  bishop  was  elected. 

It  was  not  long  before  another  bishop  was  brought 
to  trial,  this  time  for  having  renounced  the  communion 
of  the  Church.  It  was  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Levi  Silli- 
man  Ives,  who  had  been  for  twenty  years  Bishop  of 
North  Carolina,  and  who  had  made  his  submission  to 
the  Bishop  of  Rome.  He  had  no  following,  nor  were 
the  circumstances  attending  his  defection  calculated 
to  influence  others  to  join  him.  At  the  General  Con- 
vention held  in  1853,  he  was  solemnly  deposed.  His 
vacillating,  if  not  dishonest,  course  in  first  disavow- 
ing Roman  errors,  then  retracting  his  disavowal,  and 
afterwards  repeating  his  disavowal,  can  only  be  attri- 
buted to  his  evidently  shattered  health,  both  physical 
and  mental. 

To  this  period  also  belongs  the  trial  of  the  Right 
Rev.  Dr.  George  Washington  Doane,  Bishop  of  New 
Jersey,  which  in  some  respects  was  the  most  remark- 
able and  influential  of  them  all.  This  was  not  only 
because  of  the  many  noteworthy  incidents — some  of 
them  most  startling — in  connection  with  it,  but  also 
because  of  its  leading  to  the  enactment  of  such  pro- 
visions concerning  the  trial  of  bishops  as  give  to  the 
Episcopate  a  position  much  nearer  its  ancient  and 
Catholic  character,  in  wholesome  protection  against 
unseemly  attacks  made  under  the  specious  guise  of 
discipline.      The  trial  was  ill  advised,  as  the  whole 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  243 

amount  of  Bishop  Doane's  offence  was  a  lack  of  such 
business  qualities  as  would  have  saved  him  from  the 
financial  embarrassments  into  which  he  was  betrayed 
by  his  great  zeal  in  behalf  of  Christian  education. 
His  own  diocese  stood  by  him  nobly.  Thrice  he  was 
presented ;  twice  he  was  brought  before  his  peers ;  at 
the  end  the  presentment  was  unanimously  dismissed, 
and  the  respondent  at  once  discharged,  without  having 
been  required  at  any  time  to  plead  guilty  or  not  guilty. 
It  is  true  that  the  Court  declared  the  belief  that  the 
presenters  had  acted  in  good  faith,  but  this  did  not 
alter  the  general  opinion  as  to  the  blunders  which  they 
had  committed.  Of  these  blunders  Bishop  Doane  was 
not  slow,  in  a  becoming  manner,  to  avail  himself. 
Indeed  it  has  been  observed  of  his  defence,  by  one  of 
the  most  astute  critics  of  the  whole  affair,  that  it  "  was 
the  most  remarkable  exhibition  of  boldness  even  to 
audacity,  of  adroitness,  skill,  endurance,  eloquence, 
manly  candour,  and  prudence  that  has  ever  been  seen, 
in  that  line,  in  America."^ 

This  may  be  a  fitting  place  to  say  something  further 
concerning  one  of  the  most  remarkable  prelates  of  the 
century.  He  would  have  been  remarkable  in  any 
walk  of  life.  No  one,  during  the  period  of  his  episco- 
pate, was  more  instrumental  in  making  and  moulding 
the  history  of  the  Church  than  Bishop  Doane.  As 
early  as  1832  he  made  a  plea  for  daily  services,  which 
were  not  then  held  anywhere  in  the  United  States. 
In    his   various   writings — and   he  was  very  diligent 

^  "  Life  of  Bishop  Hopkins,''  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H.  Hopkins,  junr., 
pp.  250,  251. 


■244      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

with  his  pen — he  aided  largely  in  the  promulgation  of 
sound  doctrine.  It  was  he  who  first  introduced  Keble's 
"  Christian  Year "  to  the  American  public,  and  his 
notes  added  very  much  to  the  value  of  the  early 
editions.  He  himself  was  a  poet  of  no  mean  ability, 
and  as  a  preacher  he  had  great  power.  In  the  matter 
of  Christian  education  he  laboured  with  much  faith 
and  efficiency.  S.  Mary's  Hall,  Burlington,  New 
Jersey  (founded  in  1837),  was  the  first  Church  board- 
ing-school for  girls,  and  its  many  graduates  have 
carried  innumerable  blessings  with  them  throughout 
the  land.  His  voice  was  most  potent  in  inspiring 
missionary  zeal,^  and  in  the  deliberative  assemblies  of 
the  Church  he  always  carried  great  weight.  Nor  did 
he  neglect  such  public  duties  as  appertained  to  his 
American  citizenship.  His  Fourth  of  July  orations 
were  always  a  marked  feature  of  the  year.  When  he 
died,  in  1859,  aged  sixty  years,  he  was  everywhere 
lamented  as  a  "  Great-hearted  Shepherd,"^ 

A  distinct  epoch  in  the  Church's  history  was  reached 
in  1859,  when,  by  the  action  of  the  General  Con- 
vention, assembled  in  Richmond,  the  Episcopate  was 
made  co-extensive  with  the  boundaries  of  the  United 
States.  The  placing  of  every  portion  of  this  vast 
territory  under  episcopal  jurisdiction  was  made  pos- 
sible by  the  election  of  several  additional  missionary 

^  To  him  was  chiefly  due  tlie  reorganisalion  of  tlie  Domestic  and 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  on  the  Catholic  basis. 

*  On  one  occasion,  when  delayed  in  reaching  a  parish  where  he  had 
an  important  engagement,  he  shipped  himself  on  a  freight  train  as 
"  live-stock,"  and  thus  was  carried  without  violating  the  company's 
rules. 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  245 

bishops.  Thus  the  Church  seemed  at  length  deter- 
mined to  cast  off  the  reproach  of  being  the  last  of 
religious  bodies  to  enter  upon  the  occupation  of  the 
new  territories  that  were  attracting  so  many  settlers. 
Much  of  this  was  really  Urra  incognita,  and  so  vast 
was  the  region  in  the  North-West  confided  to  the 
charge  of  a  single  bishop  (the  late  Dr.  Joseph  C. 
Talbot),  that  he  was  quite  justified  in  styling  himself 
"The  Bishop  of  All-out-doors,"  and  in  giving  to  the 
Board  of  Missions,  in  his  half-playful,  half-earnest  way, 
some  lessons  in  geography  when  he  first  returned  to 
render  an  account  of  his  labours  and  travels. 

At  the  same  Convention,  resolutions  of  grateful 
affection  were  passed  upon  the  resignation  by  the 
Right  Rev.  Jackson  Kemper,  D.D.,  of  the  mission- 
ary episcopate  of  the  North-West.  He  thereafter 
became  Bishop  of  Wisconsin.  Bishop  Kemper  was 
a  truly  apostolic  labourer.  No  man  ever  worked 
more  faithfully  in  any  missionary  field,  and  to  his 
singular  zeal  and  robust  piety,  accompanied  as  it  was 
by  unflinching  loyalty  to  the  Church,  much  of  the 
ecclesiastical  growth  in  that  widely  extended  district 
is,  under  God,  eminently  due. 

A  similarly  devoted  missionary  bishop  in  the  South 
may  be  well  commemorated  in  this  connection,  as  he 
not  much  later  (in  1863)  passed  to  his  rest,  the 
Right  Rev.  James  H.  Otey,  D.D.  He  was  for  a 
while  not  only  Bishop  of  Tennessee,  but  also  Pro- 
visional Bishop  of  the  adjacent  States  of  Mississippi, 
Louisiana,  and  Arkansas.  He  was  of  commanding 
stature,  being  six  feet  four  inches  in  height,  and  had 


240      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

the  countenance  of  a  born  leader  of  men.  While  inde- 
fatigable in  his  missionary  labours,  he  was  very  much 
interested  in  theological  education  and  in  general  learn- 
ing. As  a  preacher,  he  was  very  earnest  and  im- 
pressive. On  one  occasion  he  was  dwelling  upon  the 
effect  on  a  young  man  of  a  sinful  course  of  life,  which 
he  traced  step  by  step  until  he  brought  the  transgressor 
to  the  very  verge  of  destruction.  When  the  Bishop 
had  reached  this  point,  he  and  the  whole  congregation 
were  very  much  startled  by  one  of  his  hearers  calling 
out,  loudly  and  yet  involuntarily,  "  My  God,  he's 
gone ! "  The  thought  of  a  Southern  University  was 
originally  suggested  by  Bishop  Otey,  although  it  fell 
to  the  lot  of  Bishop  Polk,  of  Louisiana,  to  formulate 
it,  and,  after  the  ravages  of  the  Civil  War,  to  Bishop 
Quintard,  of  Tennessee,  to  replace  it  on  the  broad 
foundation  from  which  it  has  been  built  to  its  present 
prosperity.^ 

Before  passing  away  from  this  period,  it  may  be 
well,  as  showing  the  mind  of  the  Church  in  regard  to 
the  important  matter  of  systematic  and  conscientious 
giving,  to  record  the  action  taken  by  the  General 
Convention  of  1859.  The  following  resolutions  were 
adopted  unanimously : — 

"  Resolved^  That  it  is  the  duty  of  every  member  of 
the  Church  to  consecrate  a  definite  percentage  of  his 
income  to  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour. 

"  Resolved,  That  systematic  and  frequent  offerings 
by  persons  and  parishes,  according  to  their  ability, 
^  See  p.  306. 


SOME  OF  THE  CHURCH'S  LEADERS  247 

must  be  mainly  relied  upon,  under  the  Divine  blessing, 
for  the  enlargement  of  the  benevolent  operations  of 
the  Church. 

"  Resolved,  That  it  is  recommended  to  all  clergymen 
in  charge  of  parishes  to  bring  their  flock  as  near  as 
practicable  to  compliance  with  the  spirit  of  the  apostolic 
direction  of  the  Church  of  Corinth,  '  Upon  the  first 
day  of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in 
store,  as  God  hath  prospered  him.'  And  that  to  this 
end  the  clergy  bring  the  subject  especially  to  the 
attention  of  the  people,  some  time  during  the  Advent 
season  of  each  year." 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  CIVIL  WAR  AND  REUNION 

The  attitude  of  the  Church  during  the  Civil  War — The  General  Con- 
ventions of  1862  and  1865 — The  return  of  the  Southern  bishops — 
Bishop  R.  H.  Wilmer — Bishop  Polk — Gains  to  the  Church  from 
her  attitude. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  special 
Providence  of  God  in  preserving  the  Church  in  America 
from  schism  during  the  long  and  critical  period  preced- 
ing the  consecration  of  Bishop  Seabury.  The  same 
special  Providence  may  be  discovered  with  equal  clear- 
ness in  the  trying  period  belonging  to  the  Civil  War, 
1861-65.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  it  was  largely 
due  to  the  Church's  influence,  growing  out  of  her 
abstinence  from  political  strife,  that  the  day  of  actual 
conflict  was  so  long  in  coming.  Many  of  the  promi- 
nent men  on  either  side  were  her  sons,  and  they  were 
better  trained  than  others'  in  the  arts  of  peace.  But  at 
length  the  struggle  came,  with  a  bitterness  that  none 
can  correctly  estimate  who  did  not  live  in  its  midst. 
Ties  of  all  kinds  were  sundered,  and  any  future  reunion 
on  amicable  terms  seemed  to  many  impossible.  It  was 
a  matter  of  course  that  under  such  circumstances  the 
Church  should  in  some  measure  feel  the  general  shock, 

and  there  were  not  wanting,  both  North  and  South, 

248 


THE  CIVIL   WAR  AND  REUNION  249 

those  who  allowed  their  passions  to  get  the  better  of 
their  judgment.  It  would  have  been  wonderful,  indeed, 
if  there  had  been  in  either  section  less  of  what  both 
sides  called  "  loyalty ;  "  and  yet,  with  all  this  political, 
social,  and  personal  alienation,  there  was  preserved  to 
the  Church  a  marvellous  degree  of  charity.  The  war 
was  scarcely  a  year  old  when  the  General  Convention 
of  1862  met  in  the  city  of  New  York,  on  the  eve  of  a 
hotly  contested  State  election.  The  condition  of  the 
country  was,  naturally  enough,  the  prominent  theme 
in  the  minds  of  all  the  members.  No  formal  notice 
was  taken  of  the  absence  of  bishops  and  deputies  from 
the  Southern  States.  Seats  were  assigned  them  as 
formerly,  and  their  names  were  called  as  though  no 
war  were  raging.  After  a  long  and  brilliant  debate,  in 
which  varying  sentiments  were  expressed  and  received 
in  a  truly  fraternal  spirit — the  difference  being  as  to 
how  far  the  Convention  should  deal  with  matters 
esteemed  by  some  as  mainly  political — a  series  of 
resolutions  was  adopted  susceptible  of  a  favourable 
interpretation  on  either  side  of  the  House. 

The  efforts  of  the  majority  were  directed  to  prevent, 
so  far  as  possible,  anything  being  said  or  done  which 
would  hinder  a  spontaneous  reunion  of  the  Church.^ 
During  its  session,  the  Convention  observed  a  day  of 
fasting,  humihation,  and  prayer,  in  view  of  "  the 
present  afflictive  condition  of  the  country."  In  the 
special  prayers  used  on  that  occasion,  there  was  an  utter 

^  Perhaps  no  one  contributed  more  largely  to  this  result  than  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Kerfoot,  afterwards  first  Bishop  of  Pittsburg,  and  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Mahan,  of  the  General  Theological  Seminary.     See  p.  32S. 


2  50      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

absence  of  anything  bitter  or  self-approving.  There  was 
constant  acicnowledgment  of  sinfulness  and  unworthi- 
ness,  and  an  equally  sincere  seeking  of  unity  and  love. 
The  same  spirit  continued  to  prevail  in  the  North 
that  had  been  manifested  in  the  Convention,  and  it 
vi^as  now  confidently  believed  that,  when  the  war  should 
be  over,  no  insuperable  difficulty  would  be  in  the  way 
of  reunion.  In  the  meantime,  there  had  been  estab- 
lished in  the  South  what  was  called  "  The  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  Confederate  States  of 
America."  The  leading  Southern  bishops  had,  in  the 
beginning,  opposed  secession.  The  Bishop  of  Mary- 
land (Dr.  Whittingham)  opposed  it  vigorously  to  the 
end.  But  when  an  independent  government  was  set 
up,  all  the  bishops  of  the  States  which  gave  allegiance 
to  it  (Maryland  was  not  among  them)  considered 
themselves  as  forced  to  ecclesiastical  separation.  But 
in  this  matter  they  were  very  careful  to  deny  that  they 
were  parting  either  from  the  Church  Catholic  or  from 
their  fellow-Churchmen  in  the  North,  except  so  far  as 
they  deemed  it  necessary  on  political  grounds.  The 
Committee  on  the  State  of  the  Church  declared  that 
"though  now  found  within  different  political  boundaries, 
the  Church  remains  substantially  one."  The  Com- 
mittee on  the  Prayer-Book  were  distinctly  instructed 
to  propose  no  changes  that  involved  the  doctrine 
or  discipline  of  the  Church.  Similar  sentiments  were 
contained  in  the  Pastoral  Letter  of  the  first  General 
Council,   held   in  Augusta,  Georgia,  November  1862.^ 

'  Several  meetings  of  the  clergy  and  laity  of  the  Southern  States  were 
held,  which  were  well  attended,  considering  the  difficulties  in  the  way. 


THE  CIVIL  WAR  AND  REUNION  251 

No  alteration  was  made  in  tiie  Prayer-Book  except  the 
substitution  of  the  word  Confederate  for  United  when- 
ever the  latter  occurred.  The  name  oiReformed  Catholic 
was  suggested,  but  was  voted  down.  Only  one  edition 
of  the  altered  Prayer-Book  was  published,  in  London. 

Before  the  assembling  of  the  General  Convention  of 
1865,  in  Philadelphia,  the  war,  happily,  was  at  an  end. 
There  were,  however,  strong  passionate  feelings  on 
both  sides,  and  forebodings  were  entertained  by  some 
as  to  the  outcome  of  that  meeting.  The  Presiding 
Bishop  was  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Hopkins,  Bishop  of 
Vermont.^  He  early  determined  to  make  strenuous 
efforts  to  bring  about  a  speedy  and  complete  reunion. 
His  relations  with  the  Southern  bishops  were  such  as 
to  favour  the  accomplishment  of  his  purpose.  Early 
in  the  summer  he  addressed  an  affectionate  letter  to 
them,  urging  their  attendance,  and  the  attendance  of 
deputies  from  their  several  dioceses,  at  the  ensuing 
General  Convention.  The  God  of  peace  and  love 
Himself  presided  there.  Before  the  opening  service 
the  Bishop  of  North  Carolina  (the  Right  Rev.  Thomas 
Atkinson,  D.D.)  made  his  appearance  at  the  church 
(S.  Luke's),  but  declined  to  accompany  the  other 
bishops  in  the  usual  procession,  out  of  deference  to 
the  feelings  of  his  Southern  brethren  who  were  not 
there.  But  just  before  the  celebration  of  the  Holy 
Communion,  he  yielded  to  a  fresh  invitation,  and, 
accompanied  by  the  Missionary  Bishop  of  the  South- 
West  (the  Right  Rev.  Henry  C.  Lay,  D.D.),  came 
into  the  chancel  and  took  his  place  with  the  other 
^  See  pp.  262,  263. 


252      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

bishops,  amidst  such  liearty  rejoicing  as  could  hardly 
be  repressed  within  tlie  bounds  of  the  propriet}''  belong- 
ing to  the  occasion  and  place.^ 

When  the  House  of  Bishops  assembled  for  busi- 
ness, a  message  was  received  from  the  Southern 
bishops,  asking  upon  what  terms  they  would  be 
admitted.  No  better  reply  could  have  been  made 
than  that  which  was  conveyed  to  them  through  the 
Bishop  of  New  York,  namely,  "  to  trust  all  to  the  love 
and  honour  of  their  brethren."  It  was  all  that  was 
needed,  and  Bishops  Atkinson  and  Lay  soon  appeared, 
and  were  most  cordially  welcomed.  Delegates,  both 
clerical  and  lay,  were  present  in  the  Lower  House 
from  the  Southern  dioceses  of  Tennessee,  North  Caro- 
lina, and  Texas.  They  found  seats  already  awaiting 
them,  for,  as  in  1862,  the  roll  of  all  the  Southern 
dioceses  was  called  after  the  uniform  manner. 

There  remained,  however,  several  delicate  questions 
in  the  handling  of  which  serious  embarrassments 
might  have  arisen.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Richard  H.  Wilmer 
had  been  consecrated  Bishop  of  Alabama,  lawfully 
enough,  so  far  as  the  requisite  number  of  other  bishops 
was  concerned,  but  without  the  canonical  consent  of 
the  majority  of  those  constituting  for  this  purpose 
the  representatives  of  the  American  Church.  There 
was  also  a  further  objection  to  his  recognition  as  a 
bishop  in  good  standing,  because  of  a  pastoral  letter 


^  An  open  letter  addressed  by  these  prelates  and  Bishop  Quintard 
(who  was  consecrated  during  the  Convention)  to  the  members  of  the 
Church  in  the  South  had  no  little  influence  in  restoring  amicable  rela- 
tions between  the  two  sections. 


THE  CIVIL  WAR  AND  REUNION  253 

issued  by  him  after  the  actual  close  of  the  war,  in  which 
he  declined  to  recognise  the  military  authority  which 
would  require  the  clergy  of  his  diocese  to  offer  prayers 
for  the  President  of  the  United  States.  This  he  did 
because  he  felt  that  the  civil  authority  had  not  as 
yet  been  restored,  and  that,  so  far  as  the  military 
authority  was  concerned,  he  desired  the  least  pros- 
perity and  length  of  life  that  was  consistent  with  the 
Divine  Will. 

The  difficulty  in  the  first  case  was  removed  by 
the  House  of  Bishops  agreeing  to  admit  him  fully 
to  his  official  rights  upon  the  presentation  of  his 
credentials,  and  upon  his  giving  before  three  other 
bishops  the  promise  of  conformity  contained  in  the 
Ordinal,  As  to  his  pastoral  letter,  the  House  of 
Bishops  formally  but  kindly  expressed  their  regrets 
at  its  promulgation,  and  their  belief  that  no  further 
occasion  for  such  regrets  would  occur. 

In  the  Providence  of  God,  no  necessity  arose  for 
action  in  regard  to  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Leonidas 
Polk,  Bishop  of  Louisiana,  who  had  also  served  for 
several  years  as  a  Major-General  (and  afterwards  as 
a  Lieutenant-General)  in  the  Confederate  army,  for 
which  service  he  was  qualified  as  a  graduate  of  the 
Military  Academy  at  West  Point.  He  was  a  man  ot 
ardent  feelings,  but  it  was  not  until  much  urgency  was 
used  from  many  influential  quarters  that  he  assumed 
his  military  position,  and  then  only  with  the  under- 
standing that  he  might  relinquish  it  whenever  an 
opportunity  should  occur.  He  resigned  several  times, 
but  ineffectually.    At  length  he  was  killed  by  a  cannon 


2  54      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

shot  while  reconnoitring  near  Marietta,  Georgia.  His 
services  in  initiating  the  University  of  the  South,  now 
in  prosperous  operation  at  Sewanee,  Tennessee,  must 
always  be  gratefull}'  remembered. 

While  unflinching  in  supporting  and  maintaining 
the  constitutional  authorities,  yet  the  great  body  of 
Churchmen  in  the  North  had  all  along  taken  every 
precaution  against  unnecessarily  wounding  the  sensi- 
bilities of  their  Southern  brethren. 

This  conciliatory  spirit  was  very  evident  when,  in 
the  early  part  of  the  General  Convention  of  1865,  a 
proposition  was  made  that  its  members  should,  as  was 
most  fitting,  thank  God  publicly  for  that  unity  and 
peace  which  as  publicly  they  had  prayed  Him  to 
vouchsafe.  Yet  when  the  Southern  bishops  asked  to 
be  excused  from  attending  the  service  of  thanksgiving, 
the  Convention  agreed  to  strike  out  from  the  report 
of  the  Joint-Committee  words  to  which  they  had 
objected,  and  which  some  thought  had  political  bearing. 
This  being  done,  the  whole  Convention  participated 
in  the  special  office  appointed  for  the  occasion,  and 
God  was  praised  for  having  granted  "  peace  to  the 
country  and  unity  to  the  Church." 

The  restraint  thus  illustrated  and  the  avoidance  by 
the  clergy  in  general  of  questions  purely  political 
gained  for  the  Church  such  a  measure  of  public  re- 
spect and  confidence  as  was  not  possessed  by  any 
other  religious  body.  Many  strangers  were  thus  led 
to  attend  her  services,  and  afterwards  to  conform  to 
her  entirely.  Churchmen  were  among  the  most  pro- 
minent   and    influential   citizens   on    either   side,    and 


THE  CIVIL  WAR  AND  REUNION  255 

there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  truly  fraternal  way 
in  which  both  sections  came  together — the  Church  in 
this  matter  being  quite  in  advance  of  any  other 
organisation  —  very  materially  helped  the  work  of 
national  reconstruction. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
ECCLESIASTICAL  CONTROVERSIES 

Legislation  as  to  points  of  Ritual — The  Rev.  Dr.  De  Koven — The  Rev. 
Dr.  Seymour — The  Bishops'  "Declaration  as  to  Baptismal  Re- 
generation"— The  Cheney  case — Dr.  Cummins  and  "the  Reformed 
Episcopal  Church" — "Essays  and  Reviews" — The  origin  of  the 
Lambeth  Conferences — Dr.  Colenso — Biblical  Revision. 

We  have  seen  how  happily  the  Church  was  reunited 
as  to  her  civil  boundaries.  But  there  soon  began  to 
lower  around  her  the  clouds  of  internal  discord. 
"  Ritualism  "  became  everywhere  the  fruitful  theme 
of  animated  and  almost  rancorous  discussion,  both 
in  public  and  in  private.  A  more  elaborate  ceremonial 
had  been  introduced,  accompanied  by  a  more  pro- 
nounced inculcation  of  doctrine  concerning  the  sacra- 
ments. Some  were  filled  with  grave  apprehensions, 
and  in  the  General  Conventions  of  1868,  1871,  and 
1874  numerous  attempts  were  made  to  obtain  definite 
and  minute  legislation  on  the  subject. 

These  propositions  were  in  most  instances  success- 
fully opposed  by  others,  who  thought  that  no  such 
departure  from  really  Catholic  doctrine  and  worship 
had  been  proved  as  demanded  any  canonical  declara- 
tion or  restriction.  They  contended  further  that,  even 
if  such  legislation  were  needed,  it  should  not  be  had 

until  after  the  most  mature  deliberation,  which,  in  the 

256 


ECCLESIASTICAL  CONTROVERSIES  257 

state  of  feeling  then  existing,  seemed  very  improbable. 
In  1874  a  Canon  was  passed  which  is  still  in  force,  by 
which  it  is  made  the  duty  of  the  bishops  to  proceed 
against  any  minister  who  may  be  accused  to  them 
of  having  introduced  unauthorised  ceremonies,  or 
practices  setting  forth  erroneous  or  doubtful  doctrines^ 
such  as  (a)  the  elevation  of  the  Elements  in  the  Holy 
Communion  in  such  manner  as  to  expose  them  to  the 
view  of  the  people  as  objects  towards  which  adoration 
is  to  be  made ;  (d)  any  act  of  adoration  of  or  towards 
the  Elements  in  the  Holy  Communion,  such  as  bow- 
ings, prostrations,  or  genuflections;  and  (c)  all  other 
like  acts  not  authorised  by  the  Rubrics  of  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer. 

In  the  calm  that  now  exists  in  regard  to  this  whole 
matter,  it  may  appear  surprising  to  some  to  know 
that  among  the  things  which,  in  1 871,  at  the  recom- 
mendation of  a  committee  of  five  bishops,  a  majority 
of  whom  were  reckoned  as  High  Churchmen,  were 
to  be  prohibited  by  canon,  were — the  use  of  incense ; 
the  placing  or  retaining  of  a  crucifix  in  any  part  of 
the  church ;  the  carrying  of  a  cross  in  procession  in 
a  church ;  the  use  of  lights  on  or  about  the  Holy 
Table,  except  when  necessary;  the  mixing  of  water 
with  the  wine  as  part  of  the  service,  or  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  congregation;  the  ablution  of  the  vessels 
in  their  presence;  employing  or  allowing  any  one  not 
in  Holy  Orders  to  assist  in  any  part  of  the  Com- 
munion Office.^ 

^  Several   bishops   had  before   this  refused  to  consecrate  churches 
where  the  altars  had  no  visible  legs.     In  one  case,  a  bishop  declined 

R 


258      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

This  Committee  further  recommended  that  no  stoles 
should  be  allowed  except  black  and  white,  and  that 
no  cassock  should  reach  below  the  ankles,  and,  in 
the  same  spirit  of  precision,  that  when  surpliced  choirs 
were  allowed,  the  only  addition  to  their  ordinary  attire 
should  be  the  surplice  reaching  to  the  ankles.  No 
choral  service  was  to  be  allowed,  nor  any  surpliced 
choir,  without  the  consenting  vote  of  the  vestry,  nor 
contrary  to  the  Bishop's  prohibition.^ 

It  was  during  the  great  debate  (at  Baltimore)  on 
these  topics,  in  1871,  that  the  Rev.  James  De 
Koven,  D.D.  (then  Warden  of  Racine  College,  Wis- 
consin, and  one  of  the  foremost  priests  of  his  day, 
especially  in  matters  appertaining  to  Christian  edu- 
cation), made  a  speech  that  has  passed  into  histor3\ 
In  addressing  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies, 
he  deprecated  the  attempt  of  some  to  confine  within 
narrow  limits  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  more 
Catholic  tendency  of  the  American  Church.  Towards 
the  close  of  his  most  able  and  brilliant  speech,  which 
was  hstened  to  with  breathless  attention  by  an  audi- 
ence that  crowded  every  part  of  the  building  in  which 
he  spoke,  he  used  the  following  language  :  "  I  be- 
lieve in  '  the  Real,  Actual  Presence  of  our  Lord  under 
the  form  of  bread  and  wine  upon  the  altars  of  our 
churches.'  I  myself  adore,  and  would,  if  it  were 
necessary,  or   my  dut}'',    *  teach    my    people  to  adore 

for  several  years  to  confirm  in  a  chiucli  where  there  was  a  cross 
on  the  altar ;  he  also  demanded  that  the  guild  in  the  same  parish 
should  not  in  its  public  services  sing  the  Gloria  Patri  between  the 
psalms. 

1  See  p.  324. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  CONTROVERSIES  259 

Christ  present  in  the  elements  under  the  form  of 
bread  and  wine.'  And  I  use  these  words,  because 
they  are  a  bold  statement  of  the  doctrine  of  the 
Real  Presence.  But  I  use  them  for  another  reason : 
they  are  adjudicated  words.  They  are  words  which, 
used  by  a  divine  of  the  Church  of  England,^  have 
been  tried  in  the  highest  ecclesiastical  court  of  Eng- 
land, and  have  been  decided  by  that  Court  to  come 
within  the  limits  of  the  truth  held  in  the  Church  of 
England." 

Dr.  De  Koven  challenged  any  one  who  might  think 
him  to  be  unsound  in  the  faith  to  present  him  for 
trial;  but  no  proceedings  were  ever  instituted  against 
him.  However,  when  he  was  elected,  in  1875,  Bishop 
of  Illinois,  a  warm  and  protracted  controversy  arose, 
and  his  election  was  not  confirmed  by  the  Standing 
Committees,  a  large  majority  of  them  voting  against 
such  confirmation.  When  the  Rev.  Dr.  George  F. 
Seymour,  of  the  General  Theological  Seminary  (who 
was  known  to  hold  views  similar  to  those  of  Dr.  De 
Koven),  was  chosen,  in  September  1874,  to  fill  this 
same  vacanc}',  he  also  failed  to  receive,  in  the  General 
Convention  of  that  year,  the  necessary  confirmation. 
But  in  1878  Dr.  Seymour  was  elected  to  the  new 
see  of  Springfield  (erected  within  the  limits  of  the 
original  diocese  of  Illinois),  and  his  election  was, 
notwithstanding  considerable  opposition,  confirmed. 
Doubtless,  a  similar  change  in  opinion  would  have 
been  shown  had  Dr.  De  Koven's  name  been  at  this 
latter  time  before  the  Standing  Committees. 

^  The  Rev.  W.  J.  E.  Bennett,  Vicar  of  Frome. 


26o      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

To  quiet  the  minds  of  many  who  had  been  disturbed 
on  the  subject  of  Baptismal  Regeneration,  a  Declara- 
tion was  made,  in  1871,  by  forty-eight  of  the  fifty- 
three  bishops  then  constituting  the  House,  in  which 
they  expressed  the  opinion  that  "  the  word  regenerate 
in  the  offices  for  the  ministration  of  baptism  of  infants 
is  not  there  so  used  as  to  determine  that  a  moral 
change  in  the  subject  of  baptism  is  wrought  in  the 
sacrament." 

Like  most  deliverances  of  this  kind,  it  was  suscep- 
tible of  two  interpretations,  and  it  failed  especially  to 
give  satisfaction  to  those  who  had  been  prominent  in 
their  sympathy  with  the  Rev.  Charles  E.  Cheney,  a 
Chicago  clergyman,  who  had  been  deposed,  early  in 
June  1 87 1,  by  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Whitehouse,  Bishop 
of  Illinois,  a  champion  of  the  faith  as  brave  as  he  was 
able.  Mr.  Cheney  had  been  tried  before  an  ecclesias- 
tical court  for  omitting  the  words  "  regenerate  "  and 
"  regeneration  "  from  the  baptismal  office.  First,  he 
was  suspended  from  his  ministerial  functions  until  he 
should  use  those  words.  But  for  continued  contumacy, 
he  was  finally  deposed — a  sentence  that  was  fully 
executed,  and  observed  by  Churchmen,  notwithstand- 
ing a  favourable  opinion  which  Mr.  Cheney  obtained 
from  a  civil  tribunal  to  which  he  appealed  as  to  his 
right  to  use  the  church-building  where  he  had  been 
officiating. 

Towards  the  end  of  1873  (November  10),  the  Right 
Rev.  Dr.  George  D.  Cummins,  then  assistant-Bishop 
of  Kentucky  (who  as  such  had  signed  the  Episcopal 
Declaration  above  quoted),  announced,  in  a  letter  to 


ECCLESIASTICAL  CONTROVERSIES  261 

the  Bishop  of  Kentucky,  the  Right  Rev.  B.  B.  Smith, 
D.D.,  his  intention  of  immediately  withdrawing  from 
the  Church,  because  of  his  dissatisfaction  with  tlie 
Prayer- Book  doctrines  as  to  the  sacraments  and  the 
ministry,  and  of  his  disapproval  of  "  the  services 
customary  in  Ritualistic  churches."  Bishop  Smith 
urged  him  to  reconsider  his  determination,  but  with- 
out effect.  Under  the  date  of  November  13,  1873,  he 
issued  a  call  for  a  meeting  in  New  York  "  to  organise 
an  Episcopal  Church  on  the  basis  of  the  (proposed) 
Prayer-Book  of  1785,"  which  he  thought  was  free  from 
Sacerdotalism  and  Ritualism.  On  the  22nd  of  the 
same  month,  the  Bishop  of  Kentucky  (who  was  also 
the  presiding  bishop)  notified  Dr.  Cummins  that,  unless 
within  six  months  he  declared  that  he  had  not  aban- 
doned the  communion  of  the  Church,  he  would  be 
deposed  from  the  ministry.  On  the  1st  of  December 
1873,  the  Bishop  of  Kentucky  gave  notice  that  the 
Standing  Committee  of  that  diocese  had  presented  Dr. 
Cummins  for  trial,  and  also  gave  warning  that  any 
episcopal  act  of  his  pending  these  proceedings  would 
be  null  and  void.  On  the  following  day,  the  "  Re- 
formed Episcopal  Church "  was  organised,  and  Dr. 
Cummins  was  chosen  its  "  Presiding  Bishop."  Several 
of  those  who  took  part  in  this  meeting  had  been 
previously  deposed  from  the  ministry  of  the  Church 
for  various  offences,  moral  and  ecclesiastical,  and 
several  more  were  ministers  of  different  denomina- 
tions. On  December  12,  the  Bishop  of  Kentucky 
formally  withdrew  from  Dr.  Cummins  all  such  epis- 
copal authority  as  he  had  hitherto  committed  to  him. 


262      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Upon  the  day  after  receiving  this  communication,  Dr. 
Cummins  "consecrated"  Mr.  Cheney  as  "bishop." 
On  S.  John  Baptist's  Day,  1874,  he  was  duly  deposed,^ 
and  two  years  later  he  died.  Although  this  schism 
has  now  been  in  existence  for  more  than  twenty  years, 
and  has  offered  itself  as  a  place  of  refuge  for  all  kinds 
of  dissatisfied  and  unsuccessful  ministers  and  people, 
its  existence  is  hardly  known  outside  its  own  ranks, 
and  its  influence  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  any 
appreciable  quantity. 

While  chiefly  occupied  with  its  own  affairs,  the 
Church  in  America  was  not  unmindful  of  those  belong- 
ing to  other  branches  of  the  Anglican  Communion. 
When  in  1864  the  Judicial  Committee  of  the  Privy 
Council  had  given  judgment  in  the  matter  of  "  Essays 
and  Reviews,"  a  declaration  in  the  same  words  was 
circulated  among  the  bishops  in  the  United  States,  as 
far  as  was  possible  (the  Civil  War,  at  that  time  existing, 
made  it  difficult  to  reach  the  Southern  bishops),  and 
all  but  four  gave  either  their  precise  approval  to  the 
declaration,  or  substantially  so  to  what  it  contained. 

This  movement  was  headed  by  a  prelate  to  whom 
the  Church  owed  so  much  in  many  ways,  the  Right 
Rev.  Dr.  John  Henry  Hopkins,  Bishop  of  Vermont. 
His  versatility  of  talents,  his  great  learning,  and  his 
uncompromising  bravery  easily  made  him  at  all  times 
a  conspicuous  figure  in  ecclesiastical  circles.     He  con- 


^  This  action  of  the  presiding  bishop  was  taken  with  the  consent  of 
a  majority  of  all  the  bishops,  and  was  ratified  by  the  House  of  Bishops 
al  their  meeting  in  the  ensuing  October.  Thus  all  doubt  was  removed 
as  to  the  regularity  and  validity  of  the  deposition. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  CONTROVERSIES  263 

tributed  Largely  to  the  Church's  appreciation  of  her 
need  of  schools  and  colleges.  It  is  claimed  by  some 
that  to  him  is  due  the  credit  of  first  suggesting  the 
Lambeth  Conference,  which  would  seem  to  be  the  case 
from  the  text  of  a  letter  of  his  addressed,  in  185 1,  to 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.^ 

In  1865,  a  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  House  of 
Bishops,  strongly  supporting  the  Bishop  of  Cape  Town 
in  his  proceedings  against  Dr.  Colenso,  the  validity  of 
whose  excommunication  was  unequivocally  recognised 
by  the  American  Church. 

In  1 87 1,  the  House  of  Bishops  declined  to  commit 
themselves  to  the  work  then  commenced  in  England 
for  the  revision  of  the  authorised  version  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  expressing  a  disposition  to  consider  the 
work  with  candour  when  its  results  should  be  laid 
before  them. 

1  See  "  Life  of  Bishop  Hopkins,"  p.  393. 

The  first  official  action  bearing  on  the  subject  was  taken  by  the 
Provincial  Synod  of  the  Canadian  Church  in  1865,  by  reason  of  whose 
communication  the  matter  was  brought,  in  1866,  to  the  notice  of  tlie 
Convocation  of  Canterbury. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK 

Early  missions  to  the  Indians — John  Eliot — Tlie  Rev.  Absalom  Jones 
and  work  among  the  Negroes — Organised  efforts  for  missions — 
Green  Bay  and  the  Rev.  Eleazer  Williams— Woman's  Auxiliary- 
Mission  to  Greece,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Robertson — The  Rev.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Hill— The  mission  to  China  and  the  Rev.  A.  F.  Lyde  — 
First  missionaries  to  Africa  —  To  China  —  Bishop  Southgate's 
mission  to  the  East — First  efforts  in  Japan — Bishop  for  Haiti- 
Labours  among  the  Indians — Commission  for  work  among  the 
Negroes — Chistianising  the  Jews — The  story  of  Nashotah — The 
Rev.  Dr.  James  Lloyd  Breck — The  mission  to  Mexico,  and  Dr. 
Riley — Sisterhoods  and  Deaconesses. 

It  wotild  seem  at  first  sight  to  be  somewhat  inappro- 
priate to  speak  of  any  particular  efforts  of  the  Church 
in  America  as  missionary,  when  her  planting  here  and 
tier  subsequent  growth  for  many  years  were  so  wholly 
due  to  such  efforts  on  the  part  of  her  English  mother. 
And  yet  she  was  not  wanting  in  similar  efforts  among 
the  aboriginal  inhabitants.  As  already  pointed  out, 
one  of  the  chief  objects  for  which  the  royal  charters 
were  granted  to  the  early  colonists  was  the  evan- 
gelisation of  the  red  men,^  and  many  were  the 
attempts  in  the  beginning  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  them. 

^  The  Massachusetts  Colony  adopted  as  the  device  upon  its  seal  the 

figure  of  an  Indian  with  a  label  at  his  mouth,  containing  the  words, 

"  Come  over  and  help  us."     The  S.P.G.  afterwards  selected  the  same 

device  with  a  slight  alteration. 

364 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK      265 

The  belief  tliat  they  were  the  descendants  of  the  lost 
tribes  of  Israel  gave  additional  zest  to  the  labours  of 
some.  We  are  not  aware  of  the  names  of  those  who, 
prior  to  the  eighteenth  century,  made  this  their  special 
mission,  except  in  the  case  of  one  who,  although 
afterwards  estranged  from  the  Church,  had  yet  been 
ordained  to  her  ministr3^  This  was  John  Eliot,  who, 
with  exemplary  zeal  and  self-sacrifice  and  with  much 
success,  devoted  himself,  until  the  close  of  his  long 
life,  to  the  welfare  of  the  Indians.  In  this  respect  his 
conduct  was  very  unlike  that  of  many  of  the  Puritans, 
with  whom  he  cast  in  his  lot,  but  who  so  notably 
neglected,  and  even  at  times  persecuted,  those  whose 
good  they  professed  (in  the  Covenant  drawn  at  Salem) 
to  desire  to  promote.^  It  is  worthy  of  note  in  this 
connection,  that  it  was  from  the  S.P.G.  that  Eliot 
derived  the  means  for  publishing  the  Holy  Scriptures 
in  the  Indians'  language. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  same  Society  should 
engage  more  directly  in  the  work,  whose  importance 
was  constantly  urged  upon  its  missionaries.  In  1704, 
the  Rev.  Thoroughgood  Moore  (of  whom  a  more 
detailed  account  is  given  elsewhere)  was  appointed 
to  go  to  the  Five  Nations,  in  response  to  an  earnest 
appeal  from  the  Earl  of  Bellamont,  Governor  of  New 
York.  He  travelled  as  far  as  Albany,  but  from  various 
causes  was  hindered  from  proceeding  any  further. 
In  171 2,  the  Rev.  William  Andrews  came  from 
England  on  the  same  errand,  requests  for  missionaries 
having  been  made  of  the  Queen  in  person  by  four 
^  See  Anderson's  History  of  the  Colonial  Church,  vol.  ii.  pp.  193  sgq. 


266      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

sachems.  His  success  was  at  times  quite  marlced. 
At  other  times  it  was  but  slight,  the  chief  obstacle 
then  being  what  is  still  the  chief  one  in  all  such 
labours,  the  inconsistencies  of  white  Christians. 
There  was  good  prospect  of  large  results,  when  the 
French  war  broke  out  and  seriously  impaired  all 
religious  work.  After  its  injurious  results  had  dis- 
appeared, the  Church  in  various  parts  of  the  country 
resumed  work  among  the  Indians  with  more  or  less 
vigour.  But  ere  long  the  white  man's  cupidity  again 
manifested  itself,  and  the  chief  anxiety  with  some 
was  to  gain  as  much  pecuniarily  from  them  as  was 
possible,  and  by  whatsoever  means  were  feasible. 
Hence  there  ensued  in  some  parts  '  of  the  country 
great  lukewarmness  as  to  their  spiritual  condition. 
In  a  letter  addressed  to  the  S.P.G.  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Barton,  under  date  of  November  8,  1756,  he  alludes 
to  the  shameful  way  in  which  the  Indians  have  been 
cheated,  and  attributes  the  miseries  under  which  the 
Colonies  were  then  groaning  to  the  neglect  of  the 
duty  of  instructing  them.  He  instances  also  the 
complaints  made  by  the  sachems  against  English 
traders,  who  were  debauching  their  tribes  with  rum 
and  other  strong  spirits,  introduced  among  them, 
despite  an  Act  of  the  Assembly  prohibiting  such  pro- 
ceedings. The  Rev.  George  Muirson,  a  missionary 
to  Rye,  devoted  himself  diligently  to  the  same  work, 
but  with  little  success,  the  Indians  showing  very 
plainly  their  dislike  for  a  religion  whose  white  dis- 
ciples put  it  to  shame  so  openly. 

While  the  Indians  seem  to  have  occupied  the  first 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK      267 

place  in  the  missionary  efiforts  of  the  infant  Church, 
the  negroes  were  by  no  means  neglected  in  her  earlier 
days.  This  was  true  of  the  North  no  less  than  of  the 
South.  Early  in  the  eighteenth  century,  the  rector 
and  vestry  of  Trinity  Cliurch,  New  York,  interested 
themselves  very  considerably  in  their  behalf.  Under 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Vesey's  direction,  Mr.  Elias  Neau,  a 
Huguenot  (described  by  the  rector  as  "  a  glorious 
professor  of  the  Reformed  Faith  ")  served  them  from 
1704  to  1722,  very  conscientiously  and  efficiently. 
Afterwards,  and  for  a  long  period,  the  congregation 
used  to  assemble  in  Trinity  Church,  on  Sunday  after- 
noons, until  its  numbers  seemed  to  require  a  separate 
place. 

The  first  coloured  clergyman  of  whom  there  appears 
to  be  any  record  was  the  Rev.  Absalom  Jones,  whose 
name  is  included  in  the  list  of  clergy  belonging  to  the 
diocese  of  Pennsylvania,  as  furnished  to  the  General 
Convention  in  1795.  At  that  time  he  was  a  deacon, 
in  charge  of  what  was  known  for  many  years  as  "  the 
African  Church  of  S.  Thomas,"  Philadelphia,  the  first 
parish  of  this  race  formed  in  America.^  The  parish 
of  S.  Philip,  New  York,  was  founded  in  18 18. 

It  was  for  the  benefit  of  the  same  race  that  the 
Rev.  Joseph  R.  Andrews  (or  Andrus)  sailed  for  West 
Africa  early  in  the  year  1821,  landing  at  Sierra 
Leone.      He  subsequently  visited  the  Bassa  country, 

^  It  was  founded  in  I793-  As  showing  the  prejudice  existing  even 
in  Pennsylvania  against  this  race,  it  may  be  mentioned,  that  although 
for  years  its  right  to  representation  in  the  Diocesan  Convention  was 
regularly  claimed,  and  with  much  ability  and  zeal,  it  was  not  until 
1 864  that  it  was  recognised,  and  coloured  delegates  took  their  seats. 


268      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

and  returned  to  Sierra  Leone,  where  he  died,  after  a 
short  illness,  on  July  29th  of  the  same  year.  He  went 
out  more  directly  under  the  auspices  of  the  American 
Colonisation  Society,  but  with  the  hearty  approval  of 
Bishop  Griswold,  among  others.  For  several  years  he 
had  been  desirous  of  labouring  among  the  heathen 
abroad,  and  yet,  although  he  has  been  claimed  as 
the  first  foreign  missionary  of  the  American  Church, 
we  have  already  seen  that  this  honour  rightly  belongs 
to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Thompson.^ 

As  early  as  1792,  the  General  Convention  agreed 
upon  a  plan  for  the  support  of  missionaries  who  should 
go  to  what  were  then  denominated  "  the  frontiers  of 
the  United  States."  This  plan  included  the  preaching 
annually  of  a  missionary  sermon,  to  be  followed  b}'  a 
collection. 

Various  projects  were  mooted  from  time  to  time  for 
the  establishment  of  a  regularly  organised  missionary 
society  which  should  embrace  the  whole  Church.  Early 
in  the  present  century,  there  was  some  correspondence 
between  American  Churchmen  and  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  England,  more  particularly  with 
reference  to  co-operation  through  a  similar  organisation 
in  work  among  foreign  nations.  As  an  encouragement 
in  this  direction,  the  C.M.S.  offered  a  contribution  from 
its  own  funds  of  ;^ 200. 

The  first  steps  under  any  organisation  for  supplying 

the   spiritual   needs   of  what  was  then   known  as  the 

West  were  taken,  in   18 16,  by  Bishop   White  and  a 

few  other  clergymen  residing  in  Philadelphia.     They 

^  See  above,  pp.  47,  48. 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK     269 

inaugurated  the  Episcopal  Missionary  Society  of 
Philadelphia,  and  sent  a  clergyman  to  Ohio.  He 
subsequently  went  to  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 
These  operations  were  continued,  both  in  this  country 
and  in  Africa,  until  the  formation  for  the  whole  Church 
of  the  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  of 
which,  indeed,  it  may  be  said  to  have  been  to  some 
extent,  if  not  the  origin,  at  least  the  immediate  fore- 
runner. 

In  1820  the  General  Convention  adopted  a  Con- 
stitution for  such  a  society,  which,  however,  from 
faulty  features,  was  superseded  by  another  Constitu- 
tion, passed  at  tlie  General  Convention  of  1821. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was 
the  appointment,  on  May  23,  1822,  of  Mr.  Ephraim 
Bacon  and  his  wife  as  catechists  and  teachers  for 
West  Africa,  whither,  as  we  have  seen,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Andrews  had  gone  in  the  previous  year.  They  did 
not  go  as  appointed,  owing  to  difficulties  in  securing 
transportation,  and  the  project  was  for  the  time 
abandoned.  Later  on,  some  account  will  be  found 
of  the  appointment  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  S.  Savage 
and  others. 

At  the  same  meeting,  the  amount  contributed  for 
two  years  to  the  work  of  the  Society  was  reported  to 
be  $5723.58. 

Among  the  early  ventures  of  faith,  was  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  mission  to  the  Indians  at  Green  Bay, 
Wisconsin,  which,  however,  had  to  be  re-organised 
in  1827  under  another  clergyman.  This  was  the  Rev. 
Eleazer  Williams,  described  as  "of  Indian  extraction 


270      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

and  in  deacon's  orders."  A  number  of  years  after- 
wards this  clergyman  became  quite  famous  as  the  sup- 
posed "  Lost  Dauphin,"  or  Louis  XVII.  Not  a  few 
eminent  persons  became  much  interested  in  the  contro- 
versy that  arose  upon  the  subject,  and  some  of  them 
were  fully  persuaded  of  the  genuineness  of  his  claim. 

At  the  first  triennial  meeting  of  the  Society,  held  in 
1823,  it  was  reported  that  there  had  been  organised 
eleven  auxiliary  societies,  of  which  eight  were  com- 
posed entirely  of  women. 

It  was  agreed,  in  1826,  that  a  mission  should  be 
established  at  Buenos  Ayres,  but  very  little  seems  to 
have  come  of  this  decision.  The  Rev.  Lot  Jones  was 
appointed  to  its  oversight,  and  would  have  gone,  but 
for  the  blockade  of  that  port  and  other  circumstances. 
The  Rev.  Jacob  Oson,  a  coloured  man  of  recognised 
ability,  had  been  ordained  with  a  view  to  work  in 
Africa,  and  was  (in  1828)  on  the  eve  of  departing  to 
his  distant  field  when  he  was  taken  ill  and  died. 

The  next  work  abroad  undertaken  (in  1829)  by  the 
Society  was  a  mission  to  Greece,  which  country  had 
recently  freed  itself  from  Turkish  and  Mahometan 
oppression.  The  Rev.  John  J.  Robertson,  of  Mary- 
land, a  man  of  considerable  ability  and  devotion,  who 
had  volunteered  his  services,  was  empowered  to  go 
thither  as  the  Society's  agent,  to  inform  himself  of 
the  real  condition  of  the  people,  and  to  report  as  to 
the  advisability  of  establishing  the  proposed  mission. 
As  well  in  the  instructions  which  he  received  as  in 
the  letter  addressed  to  him  b}'  Bishop  White  and  other 
bishops,  he  was  reminded  of  the  fact  that  the  Greek 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK      271 

Church  was  of  apostolic  origin,  and  was  to  be  acknow- 
ledged as  such,  while  its  corruptions  were  to  be  dealt 
with  prudently.  Mr.  Robertson  proceeded  to  Greece 
in  the  early  part  of  1829,  and  returned  to  America 
towards  the  close  of  the  same  year.  In  the  October 
following,  he  set  sail  again  for  Greece,  in  company 
with  three  other  missionaries  (the  Rev.  John  H.  Hill 
and  wife,  and  Mr.  Solomon  Bingham),  whose  departure 
from  Boston  was  the  occasion  of  a  very  interesting 
and  impressive  series  of  farewell  services.  Even 
greater  care  than  before  was  taken  in  the  instructions 
given  them  to  impress  upon  them  the  necessity  of 
guarding  the  Greeks  against  the  idea  of  any  attempt 
being  made  to  establish  another  Church.  As  one 
result  of  the  investigations  made  by  Mr.  Robertson, 
these  later  instructions  were  broader  and  fuller,  clearly 
defining  the  Catholic  principles  involved. 

The  success  of  the  mission  was  largely  predicated 
upon  the  use  of  a  printing-press  which  was  shipped 
with  them,  and  upon  the  influence  of  the  school  which 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  especially  were  to  establish.  Shortly 
after  their  arrival  in  Athens,  Mrs.  Hill  opened  a  school 
for  girls  in  the  cellar  of  her  residence.  Twenty  pupils 
were  in  attendance  on  the  first  day.  In  two  months 
the  number  had  grown  to  167,  in  ages  ranging  from 
three  to  eighteen  years.  Of  this  whole  number,  very 
few  could  read  at  all;  not  many  knew  even  their 
letters.  A  boys'  school  was  also  soon  in  operation, 
and  had  almost  immediately  over  a  hundred  pupils. 
In  this  they  had  the  assistance  of  a  Greek  priest. 
Such  was  the  general  want  of  education  in  the  country. 


272       HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

as  also  of  teachers,  that  many  of  the  Greek  youth  were 
being  sent  to  Italy,  France,  and  Germany,  where  not 
a  few  of  them  acquired  infidel  principles.  Mr.  Hill 
set  himself  resolutely  to  counteract  these  influences, 
largely  through  training  competent  instructors.  At 
the  time  of  its  organisation,  the  school  at  Athens  was, 
with  one  exception  at  Syra,  the  only  school  for  girls 
in  Greece.  This  institution  has  been  in  constant 
operation  ever  since,  and  has  been  recognised  far  and 
wide  as  the  means  of  conferring  incalculable  benefits 
upon  thousands.  Very  often  the  highest  encomiums 
were  spoken  in  its  honour  and  in  honour  of  Dr.  Hill 
and  his  wife,  who  were  spared  in  a  good  old  age  to  see 
the  happy  results  of  their  labours.  The  school,  con- 
ducted on  the  same  principles  as  formerly,  continues 
to  have  the  confidence  of  both  the  ecclesiastical  and 
civil  rulers  of  Greece,  and  of  the  most  observant  and 
influential  residents  and  visitors  of  its  ancient  capital. 

In  1834  Mr.  Edward  A.  Newton — a  layman  from 
Massachusetts,  who,  during  his  whole  connection  with 
the  Board  of  Missions,  evinced  the  liveliest  and  most 
generous  interest  in  its  work — moved  that  a  mission 
be  established  in  China,  Cochin  China,  Siam,  or  Burmah, 
so  soon  as  proper  missionaries  could  be  found  for  such 
stations.  After  some  discussion,  his  motion  was 
amended  so  as  to  exclude  the  names  of  all  places 
except  China.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  by  the 
resolution  of  one  young  man  to  undertake  the  mission 
to  that  country,  wa«  given  the  chief  impulse  to  its 
establishment  at  this  time.  It  was  the  Rev.  Augus- 
tus Foster  Lyde,  who  from  his  boyhood  had  shown 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK     273 

remarkable  intellectual  activity  and  spiritual  devotion. 
He  graduated  from  the  General  Theological  Seminary 
in  June  1834,  and  was  immediately  ordained  to  the 
diaconate.     His  heart  was  full  of  his  burning  desire 
to  go  and  preach  the  Gospel  in  China,  but  his  health, 
which  had  been  for  some  time  precarious,  soon  broke 
down  completely,    and   he  died  in   November.     In  a 
letter  which   he   addressed    to    the   members   of  the 
Missionary  Society  of  the  Seminary,  written,   as  he 
himself  says,  "  in  the  calm  expectation  of  death,"  he 
pleads   with    them    most   pathetically   and   eloquently 
for  a   thorough    consecration    of    themselves   to   the 
great  missionary  cause,  with  especial  reference  to  the 
heathen   world.      When  his  physician   informed   him 
of  the   impossibility  of  his    recovery,    he    burst    into 
tears  and  exclaimed,  "  Can  it  be  so  ?     Shall  I  never 
be  allowed  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  China  ?     Yet  I  am 
not  worthy  of  such  a  service.     But  I  will  labour  for 
her  sake  while  I  live."     And  so  he  did  labour,  and  not 
without  effect,  as  one  of  the  missionaries  who  after- 
wards went  thither  testified.     Indeed,  he   may  fairly 
be  accounted  as  the  first  missionary,  and  as  such  his 
name   and   the   inspiration    which    he    gave  to    others 
deserve  to  be  gratefully  remembered.     The  first  one 
actually  to  sail  was  the  Rev.  Henry  Lockwood,  of  the 
General  Theological  Seminary,  who  was  accompanied 
by  the  Rev.    Francis  R.    Hanson,  a  graduate  of  the 
Virginia  Theological  Seminary.^     They  sailed  together 

^  They  went  first  to  Batavia  in  the  island  of  Java,  where  they  studied 
the  language  and  waited  for  a  favourable  opening  in  China.  The  first 
foothold  obtained  by  them  was  near  Amoy. 

S 


274       HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

from  New  York  on  June  2,  1835,  after  several  inter- 
esting farewell  services.  The  entrance  into  this  field 
of  the  American  Church  was  prior  to  any  similar 
action  by  the  English  Church.  It  was  not  until  the 
year  1874  that  the  S.P.G.  began  work  in  North  China. 
In  1835-6  the  mission  to  Africa  was  very  much 
strengthened  by  the  devotion  of  themselves  to  the 
w^ork  of  no  less  than  three  clergymen :  the  Rev. 
Thomas  S.  Savage,  the  Rev.  Lancelot  B.  Minor,  and 
the  Rev.  John  Payne,  the  last  of  whom  subsequently 
became  the  first  bishop  of  that  jurisdiction.^ 

In  1837  the  Rev.  George  Benton,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  two  Greek  teachers,  began  work  in  the 
island  of  Crete,  at  once  establishing  "a  school,  which  in 
seven  months  numbered  nearly  250  pupils.  Among 
them  were  children  of  Turks,  Jews,  and  Greeks.  In 
the  course  of  another  year,  there  were  almost  as  many 
again. 

It  is  interesting,  especially  in  view  of  the  present 
facts  of  the  case,  to  observe  that  in  the  same  year, 
under  the  head  of  Foreign  Missions,  the  special  com- 
mittee of  the  Board  having  this  branch  of  its  work  in 
charge  reported  the  steps  taken  to  preach  the  Gospel 
in  Texas  (not  then,  as  now,  a  constituent  part  of  the 
United  States),  where  it  was  believed  that  "  a  strong 
mission  might  by  divine  blessing  be  commenced." 

The  Board  in  1837  took  action,  looking  towards  an 
early  election  of  a  missionary  bishop  for  foreign  parts, 

'  Bishop  Payne's  successors  have  been  as  follows  :  The  Right  Rev. 
J(^hn  G.  Auer,  Clifton  C.  Penick,  and  Samuel  D.  Ferguson.  The 
laUcr  is  still  in  service  there,  and  is  a  coloured  man. 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK      -75 

and  Africa  was  designated  as  the  station  for  which  the 
first  of  such  bishops  should  be  consecrated.  But  it 
was  not  until  1844  that  such  a  bishop  was  chosen, 
in  the  person  of  the  Rev.  Wilham  J.  Boone,  who 
returned  to  China,  where  he  had  been  labouring 
faithfully  for  many  years.  As  showing  the  long-con- 
tinued opposition  to  Christianity  and  other  obstacles 
with  which  the  missionaries  there  had  to  contend — ■ 
owing  largely  to  their  comparative  ignorance  of  the 
Chinese  language  and  literature — it  may  be  mentioned 
that  the  first  baptism  was  not  until  1846.  This  con- 
vert was  named  Kong  Chai  Wong,  and  afterwards 
became  a  clergyman. 

At  the  same  time  that  Bishop  Boone  was  conse- 
crated, the  Rev.  Horatio  Southgate  was  consecrated  as 
Missionary  Bishop  in  the  Dominions  and  Dependencies 
of  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  which  included  not  only 
Turkey  but  also  the  Holy  Land,  Egypt,  and  the 
northern  portions  of  Africa  as  far  west  as  Algiers. 
It  was  in  1836  that  this  clergyman,  described  in  the 
report  of  the  Foreign  Committee  as  "  a  young  gentle- 
man of  extraordinary  promise,"  began  to  arouse  an 
interest  in  the  conversion  of  Mahometans.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  the  sympathy  of  many  persons 
throughout  the  land,  some  of  whom  contributed  liber- 
ally to  the  support  of  the  proposed  mission.  On  the 
24th  of  April,  he  addressed  a  farewell  meeting  in  New 
York,  where  considerable  enthusiasm  was  manifested, 
one  evidence  of  which  was  shown  in  an  offering  of 
over  ^2000  for  the  cause  of  Church  work  abroad. 
One  other  mission   to    the    Mahometans  had  already 


276      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

been  established  by  Americans,  but  none  had  been 
conducted  on  the  plan  which  Mr.  Southgate  was  in- 
structed to  pursue.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  Con- 
stantinople for  the  greater  portion  of  a  year,  that  he 
might  perfect  himself  in  the  Turkish  language.  After 
making  a  pretty  thorough  exploration  of  Asia  Minor, 
Persia,  Kurdistan,  and  Mesopotamia,  he  repaired,  with 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Robertson  (who  relinquished  his  work  at 
Syra  after  accomplishing  no  little  good),  to  Constanti- 
nople to  do  what  might  be  feasible  for  the  spiritual 
improvement  of  the  Greeks  in  that  capital  and  in 
neighbouring  places.  His  lonely  journeys  had  been 
full  of  arduous  labours  and  severe  sufferings,  even  to 
the  point  of  risking  his  life. 

It  is  but  simple  justice  to  the  memory  of  his  wife, 
a  woman  most  devout  and  talented,  to  record  the 
extraordinary  help  she  was  in  all  the  intricate  and 
trying  operations  of  this  mission.  During  the  Bishop's 
absences,  she  remained  abroad  and  cared  for  the 
work,  even  to  its  minor  details,  most  faithfully  and 
successfully. 

For  the  space  of  five  years  after  his  consecration. 
Bishop  Southgate  worked  most  assiduously,  and  not 
without  good  results.  He  remained  faithful  to  the 
instructions  which  he  had  originally  received,  which 
were  to  the  effect  that  he  was  to  seek  rather  to  obtain 
friendly  and  confidential  intercourse  with  the  Eastern 
Christians  than  to  propose  anything  like  a  formal  in- 
tercommunion with  them.^     Not  that  this  latter  object 

^  For  the  truly  Catholic  instructions  given  to  him  and  to  Dr,  Robert- 
son by  the  bishops  in  1S41,  see  Appendix  D. 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK     277 

was  by  any  means  to  be  out  of  his  mind,  but  that 
it  was  thought  that,  in  the  providence  of  God,  such  a 
blessing  might  be  more  surely  obtained  by  the  non- 
controversial  course  which  he  was  expected  to  pursue. 
He  was  to  bring  to  their  notice  things  in  which  they 
and  those  whom  he  represented  agreed, — an  agreement 
much  greater  than  that  which  existed  between  the 
Eastern  and  Latin  Churches.  Indeed,  the  mission  of 
the  American  Church  was  looked  upon  by  many  as 
the  only  one  that  could  successfully  counteract  in 
those  countries  the  designs  of  the  Latin  Church.  The 
Bishop  was  received  with  open  arms  by  the  Greek 
Patriarch,  who  had  said  to  him  and  Dr.  Robertson : 
"We  are  glad  at  last  to  see  among  us  missionaries 
who  are  governed  by  bishops.  We  are  now  on  equal 
terms;  we  know  with  whom  we  have  to  deal."  He 
expressed  his  gratitude  that  the  American  Church  had 
sent  a  bishop  to  represent  it,  and  to  look  after  its  own 
people  in  the  East.  The  influence  of  the  United  States, 
and  of  the  American  Church,  in  this  part  of  the 
world,  was  at  this  time  very  great,  especially  among 
Christians.  Wherever  Bishop  Southgate  went,  he 
was  affectionately  embraced  by  the  Oriental  prelates. 

His  position  and  that  of  his  associates  was,  how- 
ever, constantly  and  not  seldom  bitterly  assailed ;  and 
this  not  only  by  other  American  missionaries  repre- 
senting various  denominations,^  but  by  Churchmen  at 
home,  who  failed  to  grasp  and  appreciate  the  true  ideas 

^  He  excited  their  ire  because  he  exposed  the  mnnner  in  which  some 
of  them  used  the  Prayer-Book  and  allowed  themselves  to  be  taken  for 
clergymen,  even  bishops,  of  the  Church. 


278      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

of  Church  unity  which  underlay  his  real  mission.  While 
properly  resenting  these  unjust  attacks  upon  him,  he 
■went  on  steadily  with  his  appointed  work  until  the 
year  1849.  He  then  returned  home  for  the  purpose 
of  urging  the  separation  of  his  mission  from  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Foreign  Committee  with  a  view  to  its 
being  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  House  of  Bishops, 
it  seeming  plain  to  him  that  a  mission  to  Christian 
Churches  should  not  be  conducted  by  any  other  body ; 
least  of  all  that  it  should  be  managed  on  the  same 
principles  as  a  mission  to  the  heathen. 

Two  months  before  the  meeting  of  tlie  House  of 
Bishops,  he  was  chosen  first  Bishop  of  California,  and 
at  the  same  time  domestic  reasons  prevented  his  early 
return  to  Constantinople.  As  most  of  his  friends  in 
the  House  of  Bishops  favoured  his  going  to  California, 
his  resignation  was  accepted,  but  without  the  slightest 
idea  of  the  Oriental  mission  being  thereby  abandoned. 
On  the  contrary,  the  Board  of  Missions  at  its  ensuing 
triennial  meeting  voted  its  continuance ;  but  during 
the  recess  it  was  allowed  to  die.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  whole  movement  led  not  only  to  a 
clearer  and  fuller  knowledge  of  and  interest  in  the 
Eastern  Churches,  but  also  among  them  to  the  same 
result  concerning  the  American  Church.^ 

^  Bishop  Southgate  published  the  nanative  of  his  tours  in  several 
vaUiable  and  interesting  volumes.  He  was  subsequently  engaged  in 
pastoral  work  until  1872,  in  his  native  city  Portland,  Maine,  where  he 
organised  S.  Luke's  Church,  now  the  Cathedral ;  in  Boston,  as  rector 
of  the  Church  of  the  Advent ;  and  in  New  York,  as  rector  of  Zion 
Church.  He  died  in  Astoria,  N.Y.,  April  12,  1894,  in  the  eighty-second 
year  of  his  age,  being  at  the  time  of  his  death  the  senior  bishop  by  con- 
secration in  the  American  Church. 


'ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK     279 

In  1852,  Commodore  Perry — a  Churchman — com- 
manded an  exploring  expedition  from  the  United 
States  to  Japan.  In  1854  a  treaty  was  made  between 
the  two  countries,  by  which  the  latter  opened  certain 
ports  to  the  former.  The  United  States  Consul,  Town- 
send  Harris,  by  his  firm  yet  conciliatory  course,  ob- 
tained permission  from  the  Japanese  government  for 
the  introduction  there  of  Christian  worship.  This  was 
celebrated  in  1858,  for  the  first  time  in  two  centuries 
and  a  half.  The  American  Church  was  not  long  in 
availing  herself  of  the  opening  thus  presented.  In 
1859,  the  Rev.  John  Liggins  and  the  Rev.  Channing 
M.  Williams  were  sent  out  as  her  first  missionaries. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Williams,  after  labouring  for  awhile 
alone,  came  home  in  1866,  and  was  consecrated  bishop 
in  the  autumn  of  that  year.  He  reached  Shanghai  in 
January  1868,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  that  year  re- 
turned to  Japan,  visiting  China  occasionally  until  the 
jurisdiction  was  divided  in  1874,  at  which  time  he 
became  the  Bishop  of  Yedo.  He  may  be  said  to  have 
been  the  chief  instrument  in  laying  the  foundations 
of  the  Church  in  Japan.  For  a  number  of  years, 
he  laboured  against  much  prejudice  and  opposition. 
Almost  immediately  after  his  first  arrival,  violent  edicts 
against  Christianity  were  posted  everywhere.  It  was 
seven  years  before  he  baptized  his  first  convert,  a 
Sumari  of  Hioge.  During  this  time  he  was  engaged 
in  translating  portions  of  the  Bible  and  Prayer-Book. 
He  also  ministered  to  the  English  residents,  who 
erected  the  first  church-building  in  the  Empire.  In 
alluding  to  his  labours,  a  merchant  who  had  lived  in 


28o      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

China  and  Japan  said  a  few  years  ago,  "  I  know  of 
nothing  in  Xavier  to  exceed  the  zeal  and  devotion,  as 
yet  unrecorded  in  song  or  story,  of  the  Missionary 
Bishop  of  Yedo." 

In  1889,  the  resignation  of  Bishop  Wilhams  was 
accepted,^  and  after  several  ineffectual  efforts  to  fill 
the  vacancy,  the  Right  Rev.  John  M'Kim,  D.D.,  was 
consecrated  his  successor  in  1893,  with  the  title,  as 
subsequently  arranged,  of  Bishop  of  Tokyo.  In  China, 
Bishop  Williams  was  succeeded  by  the  Right  Rev. 
Samuel  I.  J.  Schereschewsky,  D.D.,  who  was  obliged 
on  account  of  ill  health  to  resign  in  1884.  His  valu- 
able services,  continued  after  his  resignation  amid 
great  bodily  affliction,  in  translating  'the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures into  the  Mandarin  language,  will  always  entitle 
him  to  most  grateful  remembrance.  He  was  succeeded 
in  turn  by  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  William  J.  Boone  (son 
of  the  first  bishop),  who  died  in  189 1.  In  1893,  the 
Rev.  Frederick  R.  Graves,  D.D.,  was  elected  and  con- 
secrated to  the  vacant  see. 

In  all  the  foreign  fields,  it  has  been  for  years  the 
policy  of  the  Church  to  obtain  for  the  ministry  as 
many  recruits  as  possible,  having  regard  to  personal 
fitness,  from  the  ranks  of  the  natives.  Thus  far,  a 
large  number  have  been  so  obtained,  and  now  it  is 
hoped  that  before  long  there  may  be  established  in 
at  least  some  of  these  fields  autonomous  national, 
churches. 

In  1874,  the  Rev.  James  T.  Holly,  a  coloured  man 
of  good  attainments,  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Haiti. 
*  .He  has  continued  to  labour  as  a  missionary  in  the  same  field. 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK     281 

Work  had  been  for  a  number  of  years  ^  carried  on  in 
this  island  under  the  auspices  of  the  Board  of  Mis- 
sions, and  much  encouragement  was  at  times  afforded 
those  who  were  thus  engaged.  Destructive  fires  and 
disastrous  revolutions  have  of  late  years  caused  serious 
interruption  and  embarrassment,  but  the  Bishop  and 
his  clergy  have  persevered  in  their  labours  with  admir- 
able courage.  While  the  Church  in  Haiti  is  largely 
self-supporting,  financial  aid  is  still  furnished  from 
the  Church  in  the  United  States, 

An  account  has  already  been  given  of  the  early  efforts 
to  evangelise  the  American  Indians.  These  have  con- 
tinued with  more  or  less  ardour  until  the  present  time. 
In  the  course  of  events,  most  of  these  aboriginal 
Americans  removed,  or  were  removed  by  reason  of  the 
white  man's  cupidity,  to  the  West,  where  they  came 
more  directly  under  the  care  of  the  bishops  having 
jurisdiction  there.  The  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Whipple, 
Bishop  of  Minnesota,  at  the  beginning  of  his  episcopate 
devoted  himself  to  them  with  such  zeal — never  since 
abated  —  that  he  has  won  for  himself  the  name  of 
"  the  Apostle  of  the  Indians."  Among  the  laymen  who 
laboured  in  this  cause,  none  were  more  unselfish  than 
William  Welsh,  of  Philadelphia,  who  in  other  direc- 
tions also  of  Christian  benevolence  and  Church  work 
is  entitled  to  grateful  and  honourable  remembrance. 
Although  as  early  as  1844  it  had  been  proposed  to 
raise  $20,000  to  endow  an  Indian  episcopate,  it  was 

1  In  May  1861,  Bishop  Holly  sailed  from  New  Haven,  at  the  head  of 
a  colony  of  iii  persons,  to  found  the  mission.  In  November  1863, 
Bishop  Lee,  of  Delaware,  made  there  the  first  Episcopal  visitation. 


282       HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

not  until  1873  that  the  Right  Rev.  WilHam  Hobart 
Hare  was  consecrated  bishop  with  a  special  view  to 
such  work — which  he  lias  ever  since  carried  out  with 
unflagging  energy  and  self-sacrifice.  In  more  recent 
years,  his  jurisdiction  has  been  subdivided,  and  in 
South  Dakota  (liis  present  field)  he  also  ministers  to 
many  white  people.  This  double  work  is  now  laid 
upon  a  number  of  other  bishops,  who  are  faithfully 
endeavouring  to  cope  with  the  difficulties  in  their  way. 
Large  numbers  of  Indian  catechists  and  clergymen 
have  been  set  apart  for  work  among  the  various 
friendly  and  hostile  tribes,  and  devout  communicants 
are  counted  by  thousands.  These  would  have  been 
tens  of  thousands  had  it  not  been  for  the  perfidy  of 
government  officials  and  the  inconsistencies  of  white 
professors  of  Christianity. 

Labours  on  behalf  of  the  Negroes  continued  to  be 
made  with  more  or  less  earnestness  throughout  the 
country  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  which 
for  a  while  paralysed  such  efforts  in  some  quarters  of 
\  the  South.  Up  to  that  time,  in  this  section  of  the 
country,  large  numbers  of  this  race  were  born  and 
nurtured  in  the  Church.  Many  masters  looked  most 
conscientiously  after  the  spiritual  welfare  of  their 
slaves.  As  an  illustration  of  this  solicitude,  it  may 
be  mentioned  that  a  layman  of  Mississippi^  built  on 
his  plantation  for  their  use  (he  owned  a  thousand)  a 
beautiful  chapel  costing  ^20,000,  a  rectory  costing 
|8,000,  and  paid  the  chaplain  a  stipend  of  $1200  a  year. 
It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion  when  Bishop  Otey 

^  Dr.  William  Newton  Mercer,  living  near  Natchez. 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK      283 

was  visiting  him,  and  the  chaplain  undertook  to  baptize 
about  120  adults  and  children  who  had  been  awaiting 
the  Bishop's  coming — Mississippi  then  belonged  to  his 
jurisdiction — the  Bishop  was  obliged,  though  himself 
sorely  tried,  to  go  on  with  the  administration  of  the 
sacrament,  the  chaplain  being  compelled  to  retire  from 
laughter  at  the  curious  and  amusing  names  given  to 
the  candidates.  Several  bishops  owned  large  numbers 
of  slaves.  The  Bishop  of  Louisiana  (the  Right  Rev. 
Dr.  Polk)  had  four  hundred,  and  he  brought  them  up 
in  the  Church  carefully.  Bishop  Meade,  of  Virginia, 
emancipated  his  slaves  on  condition  that  they  would 
remove  to  Liberia  in  West  Africa.^ 

In  1886  the  General  Convention  by  formal  resolution 
recognised  the  duty  incumbent  on  the  Church  of  more 
vigorous  work  among  the  coloured  people,  and  con- 
stituted a  Commission  to  whom  this  work  was,  under 
the  Board  of  Missions,  more  particularly  relegated. 
This  arrangement  has  ever  since  continued  in  force, 
and  has  been  productive  of  good  results,  although  the 
Church  has  by  no  means  fully  embraced  the  wide 
opportunities  offered  her  for  labour  among  this  people. 

The  subject  of  missionary  work  among  the  Jews 
was  discussed  at  the  General  Convention  of  1 841,  at 
which  time  a  number  of  Christian  Jews  residing  in 
New  York  petitioned  the  Convention  for  a  clergyman 
and  a  church.  Four  years  later,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Labagh, 
a  converted  Jew,  undertook  this  work  in  New  York. 
He  was  succeeded  by  others,  nearly  all  of  whom  were 

'  See  "  The  American  Church  and  the  American  Union,"  by  the  Rev, 
Henry  Caswall,  D.D.,  pp.  275-276. 


284      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

converts.  In  1859,  an  organisation  was  formed  at 
the  recommendation  of  the  General  Convention.  This 
gave  place  to  the  present  Society  for  Promoting 
Christianity  among  the  Jews.  In  a  number  of  the 
principal  cities,  its  operations  are  being  carried  on 
with  more  or  less  of  encouragement.  In  some  dioceses, 
there  has  been  and  is  still  considerable  work  outside 
of  this  society,  although  there  is  generally  an  apathy 
as  to  the  cause  which  is  most  surprising. 

Hardly  anything  connected  with  the  purely  mis- 
sionary work  of  the  Church  possesses  deeper  interest 
than  the  story  of  Nashotah.  It  has  about  it  much 
that  is  romantic  and  poetical  in  the  best  sense  of  the 
terms,  and  yet  nothing  could  have  been  more  practical, 
both  in  its  design  and  in  its  execution.  Fired  by  the 
earnest  appeals  of  Bishop  Kemper,  a  few  under- 
graduates of  the  General  Theological  Seminary  met 
for  consultation  as  to  their  future  plans,  which  before 
long  developed  into  the  foundation  of  what  is  now 
known  as  Nashotah  House.^  The  work  there  was 
begun  by  three  members  of  the  class  of  1841,  William 
Adams,  James  Lloyd  Breck,^  and  John  Henry  Hobart.^ 
As  soon  as  they  were  ordained  they  went  to  the  wilds 
of  Wisconsin,  and,  after  remaining  a  few  months  at 
Waukesha — where  they  lived  in  one  room  of  a  log 
house  originally  built  by  the  Indians — they  settled  in 
1842  on  a  charming  tract  of  ground  which  was  sub- 

^  Foremost  among  these  youthful  but  far-seeing  propagandists,  was 
Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  now  Bisliop  of  Western  New  York,  to  whom 
the  Church  has  been  on  many  occasions  so  greatly  indebted  for  his 
eloquent  advocacy  of  her  missionary  work. 

^  See  pp.  285,  286.  ^  Son  of  Bishop  Hobart. 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK     285 

sequently  named  Nashotah.  In  very  primitive  quarters 
they  took  up  their  lodgings  and  began  their  missionary 
labours,  which  extended  for  many  miles  in  every  direc- 
tion. Daily  morning  and  evening  prayer,  with  weekly 
Celebrations,^  were  established,  and  have  never  been 
intermitted.  Almost  immediately,  some  poor  young 
men  came  to  be  prepared  for  the  ministry,  which  has 
ever  since  remained  the  chief  work  of  Nashotah.  At 
the  request  of  his  associates,  Breck  was  appointed 
head  of  the  house.  In  1850  Azel  Dow  Cole,  who  had 
been  one  of  their  classmates,  was  chosen  to  succeed 
Breck  as  President.  No  one  could  have  worked  more 
faithfully,  and  such  was  the  confidence  which  he 
inspired,  and  such  the  real  worth  of  the  work  done  by 
the  faculty  and  students,  that  the  Seminary  obtained 
year  by  year  many  valuable  friends.  But  for  a  long 
while  the  daily  bread  depended  almost  literally  upon 
the  daily  mail.  No  history  of  the  American  Church 
will  record  a  much  grander  venture  of  faith  and 
heroism.  Hardships  and  privations  were  plentiful,  but 
were  all  borne  patiently  and  cheerfully.  The  under- 
graduates undertook  everything  that  was  necessary, 
labouring  with  their  own  hands  for  their  support, 
and  serving  at  the  cook-stove  and  wash-tub.  Much 
has  been  done  of  late  years  by  way  of  additional  build- 
ings and  endowments,  while  the  ever-increasing  roll 

'  At  Nashotah,  daily  Celebrations  have  for  some  time  past  been  the 
rule.  In  1842,  there  was  but  one  parish  (S.  Peter's,  Ashtabula,  Ohio) 
where  even  a  weekly  Celebration  was  provided.  Others  soon  followed, 
notably  S.  Peter's  Church,  Philadelphia,  under  the  rectorship  of  the 
Rev.  William  H.  Odenheimer,  afterwards  Bishop  of  New  Jersey,  one 
of  the  model  parish  priests  of  his  day. 


286      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

of  graduates  comprises  the  names  of  some  of  the  best 
bishops  and  priests  in  the  land.^ 

Brecii,  upon  his  retirement  from  Nashotah  in  1850, 
moved  further  west,  and,  as  the  head  of  an  asso- 
ciate mission,^  began  at  Crow  Wing  and  elsewhere  a 
work  among  the  Indians  which  subsequently  assumed 
great  importance.  He  also  founded  at  Faribault, 
Minnesota,  a  Divinity  School,  and  other  educational 
establishments.  His  apostolic  zeal  took  him  next  to 
the  very  confines  of  the  land.  Reaching  Benicia, 
California,  he  made  it  the  headquarters  of  an  asso- 
ciate mission,  and  before  long  he  inaugurated  there 
S.  Augustine's  College  and  Grammar  School,  with  a 
Divinity  Hall  attached,  and  afterwards  S.  Mary's 
Hall  for  girls.  It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  success- 
ful labours,  that  he  died  from  overwork  in  1876.  No 
more  manly,  courageous,  aggressive  missionary  has 
been  granted  to  this  century.  While  he  was  alive,  his 
example  was  most  stimulating,  and  his  name  ought 
ever  to  be  held  in  high  esteem.^ 

In  1853  or  1854,  some  of  the  clergy  belonging  to 
the  Roman  Church  met  in  the  city  of  Mexico  to 
confer  together  as  to  what  might  be  done  to  purify 
that  communion  of  the  corruptions  which  they  be- 
lieved to  exist  within  it.      A  convocation,   consisting 


^  For  many  years,  Nasliotah  —  as  also  the  General  Theological 
vSeminary — has  joined  S.  Augustine's  Missionary  College,  Canterbury, 
in  the  special  commemoration  of  S.  Peter's  Day. 

-  Dr.  Breck  was  devoted  to  the  idea  of  associate  missions,  which  he 
may  be  said  to  have  inaugurated  in  the  United  States. 

^  See  a  most  interesting  "  Life  of  Dr.  Breck,"  by  his  brother,  the 
Klv.  Charles  Breck,  D.D. 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK      287 

.at  first  of  about  twenty  ecclesiastics,  was  organised, 
and  for  two  years  weekly  meetings  were  held.  The 
movement  spread  into  the  country,  and  when  a 
memorial  was  addressed  to  the  Pope,  asking  for  the 
redress  of  their  grievances,  there  were  attached  to  it 
the  signatures  of  not  less  than  seventy-four  clergy- 
men. When  Juarez  became  President,  he  espoused 
the  cause  of  the  reformers,  and  subsequently  handed 
over  to  them  two  churches  in  the  city  of  Mexico.  In 
1866,  a  presbyter,  Rafael  Diaz  Martinez,  was  chosen 
bishop  by  "  the  faithful  of  the  Mexican  Episcopal 
Church,"  and,  accompanied  by  his  associate,  Don 
Dominguez,  in  November  of  the  same  year  he  made 
application  to  the  Presiding  Bishop  of  the  American 
Episcopal  Church  for  his  consecration.  The  con- 
stitutional provisions  of  this  latter  Church  did  not 
allow  the  granting  of  his  request. 

Two  years  later,  a  commission  came  to  the  United 
States  and  sought  the  aid  of  the  same  Church,  with- 
out obtaining  it  directly.  They  secured,  however,  the 
co-operation  of  a  Spanish-speaking  clergyman,  the 
Rev.  Henry  C.  Riley,  who  returned  with  them,  and 
entered  zealously  into  such  work  as  presented  itself. 
In  its  prosecution  he  encountered,  no  doubt,  consi- 
derable hardship  and  peril.  Aguas,  a  priest  of  some 
reputation,  joined  him,  and  before  long  additional  con- 
gregations were  gathered  and  a  synod  was  formally 
organised.  Aguas  was  subsequently  chosen  bishop, 
but  died  within  a  few  months  of  his  election,  before 
he  was  consecrated.  Mr.  Riley  about  the  same  time 
returned  to  the  United  States. 


288      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

In  October  1874,  the  Bishop  of  Delaware  pre- 
sented to  the  House  of  Bishops  a  Memorial  from 
"  Members  of  the  Synod  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  in 
Mexico,"  praying  the  bishops  "  to  take  such  measures 
as  may  lead  to  the  granting  of  the  episcopate,  we 
being  ready  to  give  the  necessary  guarantees  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  faith  and  the  due  order  in  the 
ministry  of  our  Church." 

The  whole  matter  involved  in  the  Memorial  was 
referred  to  a  special  commission,  consisting  of  the 
Bishops  of  Maryland  ^  (Chairman),  Delaware,^  Ohio,^ 
Pennsylvania,*  Western  New  York,^  Pittsburg,^  and 
Long  I^landJ  As  one  result  of  their  deliberations, 
the  Bishop  of  Delaware  undertook  a  provisional  visi- 
tation, and  made  a  thorough  examination  of  the 
ground.  He  had  a  list  given  to  him  of  thirty-nine 
separate  congregations,  numbering  in  all  about  three 
thousand  souls.  He  confirmed  one  hundred  and 
thirty  persons  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  ordained 
there  seven  persons,  first  as  deacons,  and  within  a 
few  days  as  priests. 

On  his  return  to  the  United  States,  the  Bishop 
carried  a  covenant  with  the  Mexican  Church,  similar 
to  that  which  had  already  been  made  with  the  Haitian 
Church,  to  be  submitted  to  the  House  of  Bishops. 
In  this  document,  the  Church  of  Jesus  was  recog- 
nised as  a  foreign  Church,  but  it  was  to  remain  under 
tlie  care  and  direction  of  the  American  Church  until 


1  Whittingham.  2  Lee.  '^  Bedell. 

*  Stevens.  ^  Coxe.  *  Kerfoot. 

'  Littlejohn. 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK     289 

it  should  have  a  sufficient  number  of  bishops.  The 
American  Church  was  to  consecrate  one  or  more 
bishops,  and  jointly  with  them  (until  three  bishops 
were  consecrated)  to  administer  the  Episcopal  govern- 
ment of  the  Mexican  Church.  The  latter  Church 
proclaimed  its  assent  to  "  the  doctrine,  discipline, 
and  worship  of  the  former  in  all  essential  parti- 
culars." 

Notwithstanding  this  agreement,  some  publications 
of  a  liturgical  character  were  put  forth  to  which 
sound  objections  concerning  their  orthodoxy  were 
made  by  the  Commission.  Dr.  Riley's  delay  in  pre- 
senting amended  forms  for  the  proposed  Book  of 
Offices  led  to  much  unfavourable  comment  and  no 
little  want  of  confidence  in  him  on  the  part  of  many. 
He  seems  at  length  to  have  satisfied  the  doubts  of 
the  various  members  of  the  Episcopal  Commission,  in- 
cluding its  venerable  chairman,  who,  during  the  latter 
stages  of  the  transactions,  was  very  ill  at  his  residence 
in  Baltimore,  and  not  able  to  attend  all  the  meet- 
ings of  the  Commission.  The  offices  for  Baptism  and 
Holy  Communion  were  read  to  him  by  the  Bishop 
of  Pittsburg,  who  was  clearly  under  the  impression  at 
the  time  that  he  was  in  such  a  mental  condition  as 
would  allow  him  to  consider  them  carefully.  His 
daughter,  however  (Miss  M.  H.  Whittingham),  who 
was  in  constant  attendance  upon  him,  has  stated  that 
at  this  period  he  was  so  enfeebled  by  his  illness  as 
not  to  be  able  to  sustain  thought  and  reflection  for 
any  considerable  length  of  time.  Indeed,  during  this 
very  interview,  it  was  necessary  more  than  once  to 


290      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

suspend  the  reading  of  the  Liturgy  that  he  might  be 
revived  by  his  nurse.  Miss  Whittingham  is  entirely 
confident  that  there  were  many  portions  of  it  which  he 
did  not  really  hear,  although  to  the  Bishop  of  Pittsburg 
and  to  others  not  familiar  with  his  peculiar  condition  he 
would  seem  (his  eyes  were  closed  throughout,  as  his 
manner  was)  to  be  comprehending  it  all.  He  himself, 
owing  to  this  peculiarity,  would  think  that  he  had  heard 
and  considered  it  all.^  A  document  was  signed  by  him 
subsequently,  assenting  to  the  acceptance  of  the  offices 
as  brought  to  him  by  the  Bishop  of  Pittsburg. 

All  preliminaries  having  been,  as  it  was  thought, 
satisfactorily  arranged,  Dr.  Riley  was  duly  con- 
secrated as  Bishop  of  the  Valley  of  Mexico,  on  St. 
John  Baptist's  Day,  1879,  in  Trinity  Church,  Pitts- 
burg. His  consecration  had  been  ordered  by  the 
Presiding  Bishop  in  accordance  with  the  resolution  by 
which  the  Commission  was  originally  empowered  to 
act.  Some  objection  to  this  course  was  raised  by 
those  who  contended  that  the  constitutional  provi- 
sions in  cases  of  Episcopal  elections  had  not  been 
fully  met.  But  although  a  majority  of  the  whole 
number  of  bishops  did  not  formally  signify  their 
approval,  the  Bishop  of  Delaware  declared  that  no 
remonstrance  was    made   to   him,  nor,  so    far   as  he 


'  This  statement  was  made  by  Miss  Whittingham  directly  to  the 
author,  who  has  also  had  the  opportunity  of  examining  many  of  the 
orii;inal  documents  (including  the  correspondence  between  the  Bishops 
of  Maryland  and  Pittsburg)  bearing  upon  the  case.  It  agrees  likewise 
with  the  statements  made  by  others,  among  them  memljers  of  Bishop 
Whittingham's  family,  who  were  familiar  with  his  condition  during 
this  period. 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK     291 

knew,  to  any  member  of  the  Commission  against  the 
consecration.^ 

The  course  of  Bishop  Riley  after  his  consecration 
ahenated  from  him  the  sympathy  and  confidence  of 
much  the  larger  portion  of  his  friends  and  supporters. 
By  his  protracted  absence  abroad,  by  his  utter  failure 
to  comply  with  their  reasonable  requests,  and  chiefly 
by  his  not  fulfilling  his  own  pledges  as  to  providing  a 
proper  Liturgy,  he  disappointed  their  long-cherished 
hopes. 

At  the  instance  of  the  Commission,  then  sitting  with 
Bishop  Riley  as  the  Temporary  Board  of  Adminis- 
tration provided  for  by  Article  III.  of  the  covenant 
between  the  American  bishops  and  "  The  Mexican 
Branch  of  the  Catholic  Church  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  militant  upon  earth,"  Bishop  Riley,  on  the  24th 
day  of  April  1884,  resigned  his  jurisdiction  as  Bishop 
of  the  Valley  of  Mexico.  At  the  same  time  he  pledged 
himself  to  exercise  no  episcopal  authority  or  perform 
episcopal  acts  in  the  said  diocese  or  in  the  Republic  of 
Mexico.  He  further  promised  to  forbear  all  exercise 
of  the  functions  of  his  office,  except  with  the  advice 
and  consent  of  the  Mexican  Commission,  or  on  the 
invitation  of  the  ecclesiastical  authority  of  some  dio- 
cese for  service  in  the  diocese  concerned,  or  in  a 
vacant  Missionary  Jurisdiction  by  appointment  of  the 
Presiding  Bishop. 

The  Commission  withdrew  the  expressions  of  con- 

^  9>&&  Journal  of  the  General  Convention,  1S86,  pp.  23-25,  830-34. 
The  Bishops  of  Connecticut  (Williams)  and  Albany  (Doane)  had  been  ap- 
pointed in  the  places  of  the  Bishops  of  Maryland  and  Pittsburg,  deceased. 


292      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

fidence  and  commendation  which  they  had  given  to 
Bishop  Riley. 

At  the  triennial  meeting  of  the  House  of  Bishops 
held  in  October  1 883,  the  action  of  the  Commission 
concerning  Bishop  Riley  was  reported  and  approved, 
it  being  understood  that  his  relation  to  the  Church  in 
Mexico  had  entirely  ceased.^  The  House  of  Bishops 
further  accepted  a  subsequent  report  of  the  Commis- 
sion, wherein  they  notified  them  of  their  having  recog- 
nised the  body  known  as  the  Cuerpo  Ecclesiastico  as 
the  true  representative  and  governing  body  of  the 
Church  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico;  and  that,  during 
the  abeyance  of  the  autonomous  Church,  and  in  the 
absence  of  any  episcopal  authority^  the  members  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  had  been  received  as  a  mission 
under  the  fostering  care  of  the  American  Church. 
The  Board  of  Missions,  however,  acted  under  this 
resolution  only  so  far  as  to  receive  and  disburse  such 
money  as  was  intrusted  to  them  for  the  support  of  the 
American  priest  sent  there  by  the  Board  on  the  nomi- 
nation of  the  Presiding  Bishop. 

The  Commission  was  discharged  with  the  thanks  of 
the  House ;  and  shortly  afterwards,  the  Rev.  William 
B.  Gordon,  a  presbyter  of  the  Diocese  of  Delaware, 
was  appointed,  on  the  nomination  of  the  Presiding 
Bishop,  to  counsel  and  guide  the  clergymen  and  lay- 
readers  who  had  asked  for  the  fostering  care  of  the 
American  Church. 

^  At  a  meeting  of  the  House  of  Bishops  held  in  New  York  on  St. 
Luke's  Day,  1894,  Bishop  Riley  was  duly  suspended  from  exercising 
all  episcopal  functions,  and  warned  that,  unless  he  was  adjudged  in- 
nocent of  the  charges  against  him,  he  would  be  deposed. 


ORGANISATIOPJ  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK     293 

A  great  deal  of  unfavourable  criticism  has  been  be- 
stowed upon  this  work  by  those  who  consider  that,  as 
the  Roman  Church  was  already  established  in  Mexico, 
it  was  an  intrusion  on  the  part  of  another  Episcopal 
Church  to  have  anything  to  do  with  sending  bishops 
there.  No  such  position  was  taken  in  the  House  of 
Bishops.^  In  that  House  no  one  could  have  been 
more  jealous  on  this  point  than  the  bishops  belonging 
to  the  Commission.  What  induced  them  and  others 
to  join  in  the  movement  was  the  desire  to  prevent  the 
establishment  of  a  mere  sect  in  Mexico. 

It  was  further  hoped  that,  by  fully  constituting  a 
reformed  branch  of  the  Church  there,  other  Mexicans 
might  be  persuaded  to  carry  on  their  religious  work 
under  proper  auspices.  More  than  once  the  Bishop  of 
Maryland  and  other  members  of  the  Commission,  in 
advocating  the  giving  to  them  of  the  Episcopate,  re- 
ferred to  the  evils  which  had  resulted  in  the  United 
States  from  the  long  delay  in  receiving  the  same  gift 
from  England.  Consent  was  also  given  to  Bishop 
Riley's  consecration,  on  the  ground  that  Bishop  Sea- 
bury  had  been  consecrated  on  similar  conditions,  and 
that  a  bishop  was  the  first  and  indispensable  requisite 
to  the  forming  of  a  liturgy. 

Indeed,  the  Commission  may  well  claim  to  have  faith- 
fully laboured  to  secure  all  necessary  safeguards  in 
the  matter  of  liturgical  orthodoxy.  Its  members,  by 
formal  resolutions,  urged  upon  the  Church  in  Mexico 
an  earnest  consideration   of  the   great   principles   of 

^  See  Letter  of  the  Bishop  of  Delaware,  Journal  of  General  Conveii' 
tion,  18S6,  p.  647. 


294      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

historical  continuity  and  primitive  example,  so  as  to 
render  their  work  alike  national  and  Catholic.  The}' 
also  recommended  them,  in  making  improvements  in 
the  forms  already  submitted,  to  keep  in  view  the 
ancient  Spanish  offices. 

In  these  efforts,  as  in  all  their  actions,  the  Commis- 
sion dealt  with  the  matters  intrusted  to  them  pro- 
visionally, their  chief  desire  being  so  to  assist  the 
Mexicans  in  the  preliminary  stages  of  the  work  as  to 
enable  them  eventually  to  found  their  Church  on  such 
lines  as  would  commend  themselves  to  all  who  recog- 
nise the  force  of  really  Catholic  principles.  While  it  has 
been  common  to  speak  of  the  whole  case  as  an  imbroglio, 
and  while,  doubtless,  some  mistakes  have  been  made 
in  managing  it,  one  thing  may  be  safely  asserted  :  no 
set  of  men  ever  acted  more  entirely  in  the  fear  of  God 
and  in  the  love  of  His  Holy  Catholic  Church,  or  took 
greater  pains  to  find  the  path  of  duty,  and  when  found 
showed  greater  courage  in  following  it  to  the  end. 

Upon  the  resignation,  in  1893,  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Gordon,  the  Rev.  Henry  Forrester  was  nominated  by 
the  Presiding  Bishop  as  his  successor,  and  at  once 
entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties. 

Offices  for  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  for  the 
Administration  of  Holy  Baptism  and  Holy  Com- 
munion, based  upon  the  Mozarabic  Liturgy,  and  pre- 
pared by  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Hale,  Bishop  of  Cairo 
(an  expert  in  such  matters),  have  been  adopted  by  the 
Cuerpo  Ecclesiastko,  with  the  approval  of  the  Presid- 
ing Bishop  and  his  episcopal  advisers,  and  have  been 
authorised  for  provisional  use. 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK     295 

On  account  of  the  varied  and  important  matters 
involved,  and  of  some  inaccurate  statements  made 
from  time  to  time  concerning  it,  a  somewhat  extended 
narrative  is  here  given  of  the  work  undertaken  in 
Mexico.  This  narrative,  it  may  be  said,  has  been 
submitted  to  all  the  surviving  members  of  the  Com- 
mission, and  has  been  pronounced  by  them  accurate, 
as  concerns  the  facts  herein  related. 

Work  among  deaf  mutes  has  for  a  number  of  3^ears 
engaged  the  special  attention  of  the  Church,  and  has 
been  prosecuted  with  considerable  success.  Several 
from  their  number  have  been  ordained  to  the  Sacred 
Ministry,  the  first  of  whom  was  the  Rev.  Henry 
W.  Syle,  of  Philadelphia.  He  was  ordained  to  the 
Diaconate  in  1876,  and  to  the  Priesthood  in  1883. 

This  action  by  the  ordaining  bishop  (Dr.  Stevens, 
of  Pennsylvania)  v/as  not  taken  without  much  delibera- 
tion. Considerable  objection  was  raised  at  the  time  of 
the  ordination  to  the  Priesthood.  Bishop  Stevens, 
in  the  sermon  preached  upon  the  occasion  and  after- 
wards printed,  gave  his  reasons  for  considering  himself 
authorised  to  proceed. 

The  special  and  organised  efforts  for  deaf  mutes 
began  in  1850.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Gallaudet,  D.D., 
of  New  York,  has  been  from  the  beginning  especially 
devoted  to  this  work. 

There  are  about  50,000  deaf  mutes  in  the  country, 
the  majority  of  whom  are  reached  by  the  Church's 
mission,  very  few  of  the  other  religious  bodies  having 
any  organised  or  permanent  work  among  them. 

The  growth  of  the  Church's  missionary  or  aggressive 


296      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

spirit  was  manifested,  among  many  other  ways,  in  the 
organising  for  her  work  of  the  services  of  Christian 
women.  Prejudice  and  fear  had  stood  in  the  way, 
but  were  at  length  sufficiently  overcome  to  warrant  a 
beginning  in  this  direction.  The  first  steps  were 
taken  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  who,  in  1845, 
organised  what  was  known  as  the  Sisterhood  of  the 
Holy  Communion,  New  York.  It  was  not  until  1852. 
that  it  was  formally  constituted,  nor  until  the  feast 
of  the  Purification,  1857,  that  the  first  sister  was 
formally  admitted.  The  brief  office  used  on  that 
occasion  was  prepared  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg.  The 
sister  then  admitted  is  the  present  Mother  Superior 
of  the  Sisterhood  of  S.  Mary. 

In  Baltimore  the  Rev.  Horace  Stringfellow  inaugu- 
rated, in  1855,  a  similar  organisation,  with  the  cordial 
approval  of  the  Bishop  of  Maryland.  Out  of  this 
grew,  in  1856,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
C.  W.  Rankin,  the  Sisterhood  of  the  Good  Shepherd, 
which,  in  1863,  became  a  community.  They  began 
their  work  in  his  parish  (S.  Luke's),  and  afterwards 
laboured  also,  beginning  in  1866,  in  the  Church  Home 
and  Infirmary.  In  the  earlier  days  these  workers 
were  called  sometimes  deaconesses  and  sometimes 
sisters,  the  former  organisation  gradually  merging 
into  the  latter. 

Other  associations  of  a  like  character  were  formed 
in  various  parts  of  the  country.  In  Mobile,  Alabama, 
a  Diocesan  Order  of  Deaconesses  was  instituted  in 
1864;  in  New  York,  the  Sisterhood  of  S.  Mary,  in 
1865,  the  members  having  been  at  work  for  two  years 


ORGANISATION  FOR  MISSIONARY  WORK      297 

previous  to  their  formal  admission ;  the  Sisterhood 
of  the  Good  Shepherd,  New  York,  in  1 869 ;  the 
Deaconesses'  Association  of  the  Diocese  of  Long  Island, 
in  1872. 

Since  the  last  date,  a  number  of  communities  have 
been  established,  some  of  which  have  been  dis- 
banded, while  others  have  considerably  increased  their 
numbers.  Legislation  has  been  had  through  the  General 
Convention  concerning  Deaconesses;  but  in  regard  to 
Sisterhoods,  it  has  been  thought  best  to  leave  their 
regulation  untrammelled  by  any  canonical  provisions. 

In  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  training  homes  for 
deaconesses  are  established  under  promising  auspices. 
In  the  latter  city,  work  belonging  to  such  institutions 
was  early  begun,  in  connection  with  the  Episcopal 
Hospital,  under  the  sanction  of  Bishop  Alonzo  Potter, 
and  with  the  co-operation  of  a  layman  already  named, 
William  Welsh.i 

At  first,  the  services  of  trained  and  associated 
women  were  confined  to  the  parishes  to  which  they 
belonged ;  but  gradually  they  were  extended  to  insti- 
tutions already  established,  or  that  grew  out  of  their 
own  labours.  They  were  often  summoned  to  dioceses 
far  away  from  their  original  homes. 

In  addition  to  the  societies  already  specified,  and 
others  arising  in  America,  a  number  of  English  com- 
munities have  established  themselves  in  various  parts 
of  the  country.  They  have  been  of  invaluable  help 
in  all  lines  of  Church-work,  and  enter  largely  into  the 
ecclesiastical  history  of  the  day. 

*  See  p.  281. 


CHAPTER  XV 
AMERICAN  CHURCHES  IN  EUROPE 

Organisation  of  the  churches  at  Paris,  Rome,  Florence,  Geneva, 
Dresden,  Nice,  Lucerne — Advantages  of  these  churches. 

In  addition  to  what  may  be  more  technically  called 
Foreign  Missions,  the  American  Church  has  main- 
tained regular  services  in  a  number  of  European  cities, 
intended  particularly  for  its  own  members  who  may 
be  sojourning  or  visiting  there.  The  first  place  where 
such  services  were  inaugurated  was  Paris.  In  the 
year  1 836,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Thorn,  an  English  clergyman, 
fitted  up  a  chapel  in  good  style  at  his  own  expense, 
and  used  the  American  Prayer-Book.  Since  then, 
great  success  has  attended  the  efforts  to  supply  the 
wants  of  the  American  colony  in  that  city.  In  August 
1858,  the  Rev.  William  O.  Lamson  began  holding 
regular  services,  and  in  April  1859,  organised  the 
parish  of  Holy  Trinity,  of  which  he  was  elected  the 
first  rector.  Under  the  rectorship  of  the  present 
incumbent,  the  Rev.  John  B.  Morgan,  D.D.,  an  elegant 
and  costly  church  (with  an  adjoining  parish-building) 
has  been  erected,  which  will  compare  favourably  with 
any    similar    edifice    anywhere.       Various    kinds    of 

Church-work  are  undertaken  by  a  staff  of  clergy,  and  a 

398 


AMERICAN  CHURCHES  IN  EUROPE  299 

second  parish  has  recently  been  organised,  under  the 
name  of  S.  Luke's. 

American  Church  services  have  been  held  in  Rome 
more  or  less  openly  in  various  places  for  a  number 
of  years.  On  Sunday,  October  30,  1858,  Bishop 
M'llvaine  held  a  service  in  a  private  apartment,  preach- 
ing, and  celebrating  the  Holy  Communion.  On  the 
feast  of  SS.  Philip  and  James,  in  the  following  year, 
Bishop  Alonzo  Potter  held  a  service  at  the  American 
Legation,  preaching,  and  administering  Confirmation. 
Cardinal  Antonelli  took  notice  of  this  event  in  "  a 
significant  and  warning  remark "  to  the  American 
Minister.  The  beginning  of  regular  and  continuous 
services  dates  from  Sunday,  November  20,  1859, 
when  the  Rev.  William  Chauncey  Langdon,  D.D., 
officiated  at  the  American  Legation,  under  the  cover 
of  whose  protection  only  it  was  possible  to  hold  such 
services.  The  congregation  was  almost  immediately 
afterwards  organised  as  Grace  Church,  and  Dr. 
Langdon  became  the  first  rector.  The  Holy  Com- 
munion was  celebrated  for  the  first  time  publicly  on 
Sunday,  December  4,  1859.  Services  were  held 
thereafter  in  various  places,  including  a  chapel  outside 
the  walls  of  the  city,  the  Papal  Government  having 
admonished  the  chaplain  that  they  would  not  be  per- 
mitted within,  except  under  the  cover  of  the  Legation 
or  Consulate.  Under  the  incumbency  of  the  present 
rector,  the  Rev.  Robert  J.  Nevin,  D.D.,  the  com- 
modious and  beautiful  church  and  rectory,  now  stand- 
ing in  the  Via  Nazionale,  were  erected,  and  in  many 
other  ways  Church-work  has  been  greatly  prospered.. 


30O      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

The  name  of  S.  Paul  was  given  to  the  church,^  which 
was  consecrated  on  the  feast  of  the  Annunciation,  1876, 
by  Bishop  Littlejohn,  who  was  then  in  charge  of  the 
American  churches  on  the  Continent. 

American  Church  services  were  first  held  in  Florence 
by  the  Rev.  William  C.  Langdon,  D.D.,  on  Sunday, 
October  14,  i860.  In  November  1867,  the  Rev. 
Pierce  Connelly  established  regular  services  there  in  an 
abandoned  Roman  Catholic  chapel,  where  they  have 
since  been  continuously  maintained.  The  incumbency 
of  the  Rev.  F.  Ward  Denys  was  unusually  prosperous. 

The  first  American  Church  service  in  Geneva  was 
held  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Langdon,  on  Sunday,  July  28, 
1873,  in  the  Temple  Neuf  About  a  month  later 
the  organisation  was  perfected.  On  this  occasion. 
Bishop  Doane  preached  and  administered  Confirma- 
tion. Services  were  held  during  the  winter  of  1874, 
in  the  Cathedral  of  S.  Pierre.  The  corner-stone  of  the 
present  Emmanuel  Church  was  laid,  July  27,  1877, 
by  General  U.  S.  Grant,  ex-President  of  the  United 
States.  The  building  was  consecrated  by  Bishop 
Littlejohn  on  S.  Bartholomew's  Day,  1878. 

At  Dresden,  this  work  was  begun  on  the  second 
Sunday  after  Christmas,  January  3,  1869,  in  the  hall 
of  the  Hotel  de  Pologne,  by  the  Rev.  John  Anketell. 
On  the  Easter  Monday  following,  the  first  vestry  was 
chosen,  and  Mr.  Anketell  was  elected  rector.  On 
Christmas  Eve,  1871,  Bishop  Stevens  of  Pennsylvania 
made   the    first    Episcopal    visitation    of    the   parish, 

'  Near  by  is  the  house  of  Pudens,  where  S.  Paul  undoubtedly 
preached. 


AMERICAN  CHURCHES  IN  EUROPE  301 

preached,  and  confirmed  eight  persons.  A  convenient 
hall  was  used  for  services  until  the  erection  of  the 
present  attractive  church  (S.  John's),  whose  corner- 
stone was  laid  by  Bishop  Littlejohn  on  Palm  Sunday, 
March  18,  1883.  It  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Lyman 
on  S.  John's  Day,  1886.  The  Rev.  T.  F.  Caskey  has 
been  rector  since  October  i,  1882,  and  during  his 
incumbency  a  spacious  rectory  has  been  erected,  of 
similar  design  to  the  church,  and  immediately  adjoin- 
ing that  building. 

The  first  public  services  in  Nice  were  held  in  the 
Hotel  Mediterranee,  on  Sunday,  October  19,  1873,  by 
the  Rev.  William  A.  M'Vickar,  D.D.  A  suitable  hall 
was  soon  afterwards  secured,  the  lease  being  signed 
by  the  American  minister  in  charge,  acting  for  the 
congregation.  On  Thanksgiving  Day,  November  27, 
of  the  same  year,  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
duly  organised,  and  Dr.  M'Vickar  was  elected  rector. 
He  was  succeeded,  early  in  1877,  by  the  Rev.  John 
Cornell,  through  whose  exertions  chiefly  the  present 
handsome  church  building  and  rectory  have  been 
erected.  These  are  not  only  free  of  debt,  but  there 
is  an  endowment  fund  of  |30,ooo.  The  church  was 
first  used  for  service  in  October  1887,  and  was  con- 
secrated December  13,  1888,  by  the  Right  Rev. 
Theodore  B.  Lyman,  D.D.,  at  that  time  in  charge  of 
the  American  churches  on  the  Continent. 

Some  years  ago,  American  Church  services  at 
Lucerne  were  begun  by  the  Rev.  J.  Edgar  Johnson, 
in  the  Hotel  National.  In  1892  a  church  was  erected, 
named  Christ  Church,  American   Churchmen  uniting 


302      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

for  this  purpose  with  the  Old  CathoHcs,  an  arrange- 
ment that  has  thus  far  proved  entirely  satisfactory. 
It  was  formally  opened  by  Bishop  Doane,  the  bishop 
now  in  charge  of  these  congregations.  The  present 
rector  is  the  Rev.  John  H.  Converse,  who  only 
officiates  during  the  summer. 

In  addition  to  the  places  already  named,  American 
Church  services  have  been  held  elsewhere  more  or 
less  frequently.  These  various  congregations  are  re- 
cognised under  the  canons  as  forming  part  of  the 
American  Church,  and  have  a  bishop  assigned  for  their 
immediate  oversight.  The  clergy  ministering  to  them 
have  organised  a  Convocation,  which  meets  for  busi- 
ness from  time  to  time.  They  report  nearly  looo  com- 
municants, and  contributions  of  over  $20,000  yearly. 
In  many  places,  American  Churchmen  combine  with 
members  of  the  English  Church  in  the  maintenance 
of  regular  services. 

The  advantages  resulting  from  the  establishment  of 
the  churches  here  mentioned  are  numerous  and  mani- 
fold. They  have  maintained  the  devotion  and  fidelity 
of  the  Church's  own  members,  amid  surroundings 
calculated  with  many  of  them  to  promote  remissness 
in  these  respects.  They  have  been  the  means  of 
bringing  within  her  fold  many  who  either  had  not 
similar  opportunities  at  home,  or  had  failed  there  to 
embrace  them.  They  have  also  served  to  give  to 
members  of  the  Churches  already  established  in  these 
various  places  a  more  accurate,  and,  in  some  instances, 
a  more  favourable  idea  of  what  the  American  Church 
really  is  and  does. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  CHURCH'S  EDUCATIONAL  WORK 

Founding  of  theological  seminaries — The  General  Theological  Semi- 
nary at  New  York — The  Theological  Seminary  of  Virginia,  near 
Alexandria — Bexley  Hall  at  Gambier,  Ohio — The  Seminary  at 
Nashotah — The  Berkeley  Divinity  School  at  Middletown,  Con- 
necticut—The  Seabury  Divinity  School  at  Faribault,  Minnesota — 
The  Philadelphia  Divinity  School — The  Theological  School  at 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts — The  Western  Theological  Seminary 
at  Chicago  —  Training  schools  for  coloured  Divinity  students — 
Collegiate  and  University  institutions  —  Sunday-schools  —  The 
Church  Temperance  Society — Church  periodicals — Other  agencies. 

For  many  years  in  the  early  history  of  the  Church, 
the  training  of  her  sons  for  the  Ministry  was  of 
necessity  left  to  the  individual  efforts  of  such  of  her 
parochial  clergy  as  had  the  ability  and  disposition  to 
engage  in  this  work.  But  when  she  became  fully 
organised,  the  need  of  more  specific  and  thorougli 
education  in  this  direction  became  more  and  more 
evident.  Under  the  inspiration,  doubtless,  of  Bishop 
Dehon,  of  South  Carolina  (a  thorouglily  educated  man, 
who  had  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1795,  with  highest 
honours),  the  representatives  from  that  diocese  brought 
the  matter  to  the  attention  of  the  General  Convention 
in  18 14.  Three  years  later,  a  Theological  Seminary 
was  established  by  vote  of  the  Convention,  and  on  the 
feast  of  SS.  Philip  and  James,  1817,  instruction  was 


304      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

commenced  under  its  sanction  in  the  city  of  New 
York.  Drs.  Samuel  F.  Jarvis  ^  and  Samuel  H'.  Turner 
were  the  professors,  and  the  students  numbered  six, 
two  of  whom  (George  W.  Doane  and  Manton  East- 
burn)  afterwards  became  bishops. 

In  1820,  the  General  Convention  authorised  the 
removal  of  the  Seminary  to  New  Haven,  where  it  was 
opened  in  September  of  that  year.  In  the  following 
month,  a  theological  school  for  the  diocese  was  estab- 
lished by  the  New  York  Convention.  By  the  death  of 
Mr.  Jacob  Sherred,  of  the  same  city,  in  March  1821, 
a  legacy  of  |6o,000  became  available,  either  for  a 
general  or  a  diocesan  seminary,  in  either  case  to  be 
located  within  the  State  of  New  York,  To  utilise  this 
liberal  bequest,  the  General  Convention  at  a  special 
meeting,  held  in  October  1821,  resolved  to  remove  the 
General  Seminary  to  New  York,  where,  having  been 
merged  with  the  Diocesan  School,  it  was  opened,  in 
February  1822,  with  twent3'-three  students.  In  1825-, 
the  first  permanent  building  was  erected  on  a  large  and 
valuable  plot  of  ground,  given  for  this  purpose  by  Mr. 
Clement  C.  Moore,  afterwards  professor  of  Hebrew.^ 

From  that  time  until  the  present,  the  Seminary  has 
gone  on  with  varying  fortunes,  except  that  for  the  past 
few  years  its  growth  and  prosperity  have  been  un- 
checked. For  its  more  recent  and  very  marked 
progress,  the  Church  is  indebted  chiefly,  under  God, 
to  the  Dean,  the  Very  Rev.  Eugene  Augustus  Hoffman, 
D.D.  It  has  received  many,  and  in  some  instances 
munificent,  gifts  and  bequests,  and  to-day  is  in  the 
J  See  p.  237.  *  See  p.  212. 


THE  CHURCH'S  EDUCATIONAL  WORK        305 

possession  of  a  very  valuable  property,  with  buildings 
almost  the  equal  of  any  collegiate  establishment  in  the 
land.  Its  endowments,  lands,  and  buildings  together 
may  be  reckoned  as  worth  not  less  than  $1,500,000. 
During  its  more  than  seventy  years  of  existence,  it  has 
matriculated  over  2000  students,  of  whom  forty-eight 
have  become  bishops.  In  1893-4,  the  whole  number 
of  students  was  145,  representing  41  dioceses. 

While  as  a  general  institution,  the  claims  and 
advantages  of  the  Seminary  in  New  York  may  be 
fairly  recognised  as  superior  to  those  of  any  similar 
institution,  its  especial  advocates  have  no  occasion 
to  regret  the  existence  of  Diocesan  and  other 
Divinity  Schools,  of  which  tliere  are  now  quite  a 
number.  The  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Diocese  of 
Virginia  was  opened  in  Alexandria  in  1823,  chartered 
in  1854,  and  now  numbers  among  its  graduates  nearly 
900,  of  whom  twenty-two  have  been  made  bishops. 
Fully  fifty  of  them  have  gone  as  foreign  missionaries. 
At  times,  its  students  have  represented  more  than 
fifteen  different  dioceses. 

In  1826,  Bishop  Chase  developed  educational  enter- 
prises which  included  a  theological  department,  and 
the  first  alumni  graduated  in  1828.  Bexley  Hall  was 
erected  in  1839,  and  is  now  an  integral  part  of  Kenyon 
College,  Gambier,  Ohio.  Over  225  names  belong  to 
its  list  of  graduates. 

Some  account  has  already  been  given  of  the  founding 
in  1 841  of  Nashotah  House,  Wisconsin,  whose  alumni 
now  number  more  than  250.^ 

^  Stipra,  p.  284* 


3o6      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

The  first  graduates  of  the  Berkeley  Divinity  School, 
at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  received  their  diplomas  in 
1850.  They  have  been  followed  by  nearly  400.^  The 
Seabury  Divinity  School  at  Faribault,  Minnesota,  v^as 
founded  by  the  Rev.  James  Lloyd  Breck  in  1858,  and 
has  about  1 10  alumni.  The  Philadelphia  Divinity 
School  was  founded  about  the  same  time  by  Bishop 
Alonzo  Potter,  and  the  Rev.  George  Emlen  Hare, 
D.D.^  It  has  265  graduates.  The  Episcopal  Theo- 
logical School,  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  was  opened 
in  1867,  and  has  190  names  on  its  roll  of  graduates. 
The  Western  Theological  Seminary  was  inaugurated 
at  Chicago  in  1885.  It  was  founded  and  partially 
endowed  by  Tolman  Wheeler,  a  munificent  giver  to 
many  good  objects. 

In  addition  to  these  institutions,  theological  education 
is  given  more  or  less  formally  in  classes  in  a  number 
of  dioceses,  and  several  of  the  Church  colleges  include 
it  in  their  curriculum.  This  is  notably  so  in  the  case 
of  the  University  of  the  South,^  where,  in  the  twenty 
years  since  this  department  has  been  in  existence,  125 
students  have  been  registered.  Of  late  years,  special 
provision  has  been  made  for  the  instruction  of  coloured 
men  looking  towards  the  ministry.     The  chief  institu- 

'  P.  75- 

'•'  Dr.  Hare  was  also  for  many  years  the  honoured  Head  Master  of 
the  Episcopal  Academy,  Philadelphia. 

'^  The  domain  of  this  University  consists  of  about  10,000  acres,  upon 
a  part  of  which  several  handsome  permanent  buildings  have  been 
erected.  Others  are  contemplated,  according  to  elaborate  plans  already 
adopted.  It  was,  one  may  say,  inaugurated  in  1856,  although  it  was 
not  till  i860  that  the  corner-stone  of  the  first  building  was  laid.  The 
Civil  War  was  for  several  years  a  barrier  to  its  growth. 


THE  CHURCH'S  EDUCATIONAL  WORK        307 

tions  for  this  purpose  are  Hoffman  Hall,  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  and  King  Hall,  Washington,  D.C.,  besides 
which  there  are  provisions  of  a  similar  kind  at  S. 
Augustine's  Training  School  in  Raleigh,  North  Caro- 
lina, and  at  the  Bishop  Payne  Divinity  School, 
Petersburg,  Virginia. 

The  subject  of  Christian  Education,  apart  from 
strictly  theological  learning,  very  early  engaged  the 
minds  of  American  Churchmen,  as  we  have  already 
seen.^  They  have,  in  subsequent  periods,  shown  more 
or  less  interest  in  it.  As  yet,  however,  there  is  no 
great  institution  to  which  they  can  point  as  the  perma- 
nent result  of  their  efforts  in  this  direction. 

Not  a  few  Church  Colleges  have  been  started. 
Some  of  them  have  for  a  while  prospered,  but  eventu- 
ally have  either  totally  disappeared,  or  gone  on  with 
diminished  force.  Mention  has  been  made  of  Trinity 
College,  which  in  1845  became  the  successor  of 
Washington  College.  Among  the  distinctively  eccle- 
siastical institutions  of  learning,  this  remains  to-day 
the  most  prosperous  and  generally  influential.  Kenyon 
College,  founded  in  1828,  has  also  an  honourable 
history,  and  an  encouraging  prospect.^  The  Univer- 
sity of  the  South  bids  fair  to  attain  a  high  position.^ 
Hobart  College,  Geneva,  New  York,  was  begun  as 
an  academy  in  181 1,  and  has  won  a  good  reputation. 
In  1825  it  was  chartered  as  Geneva  College,  Hobart 
Free  College  in  1852,  Hobart  College  in  i860;  being 
largely  indebted  to  Bishop  Hobart  and  Trinity  Church, 
New  York.  Lehigh  University',  at  South  Bethlehem, 
1  P.  55.  2  P.  305.  3  p.  306. 


3o8      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Pennsylvania,  was  munificently  founded  in  1.865  by 
Asa  Packer  of  Mauch  Chunk,  Pennsylvania,  is  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Church,  and  has  attained  an  envi- 
able position  among  polytechnic  institutions. 

S.  Stephen's  College,  Annandale,  New  York,  was 
founded  in  i860,  chiefly  with  reference  to  the  prepara- 
tion of  young  men  looking  forward  to  a  further  course 
of  study  at  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  although 
its  benefits  are  not  confined  exclusively  to  such 
students.  It  owes  its  origin  to  Bishops  H.  Potter  and 
Seymour,  and  to  a  large-hearted  layman,  Mr.  John 
Bard. 

Racine  College,  in  Wisconsin,  founded  by  the  Rev. 
Roswell  Park,  D.D.,  1853,  and  ever  since  in  operation, 
has  done  valuable  service  to  the  Church.  It  is  hoped 
that  in  the  near  future  it  may  again  occupy  the  field 
of  usefulness  so  eminently  belonging  to  it  under  the 
Wardenship  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  De  Koven.^ 

A  number  of  preparatory  Church  schools,  for  both 
sexes,  are  in  successful  operation  throughout  the 
country,  and  are  doing  a  valuable  work  in  leaven- 
ing the  mass  of  America's  future  men  and  women. 
In  some  colleges  and  universities  also  which  are 
not  under  the  auspices  of  the  Church,  she  is  en- 
deavouring by  the  erection  of  halls,  whence  specific 
religious  influences  shall  emanate,  to  make  up  some- 
what for  the  deficiency  to  which  reference  has  already 
been  made.  This  is  notably  the  case  at  Ann  Arbor 
in  connection  with  the  University  of  Michigan,  one  of 
the  foremost  institutions  of  learning  in  the  country. 
'  See  pp.  258,  259. 


THE  CHURCH'S  EDUCATIONAL  WORK        309 

The  whole  topic  of  definite  religious  and  ecclesiastical 
instruction  is  more  and  more  forcing  itself  upon  the 
consciences  of  Churchmen,  and  there  seems  reason  for 
hoping  that  in  the  coming  century  a  better  record  in 
this  respect  will  be  made.  To  this  end  there  was 
constituted  by  the  General  Convention  of  1889  the 
Church  University  Board  of  Regents,  whose  agency  in 
the  matter  promises  to  be  very  helpful. 

Mention  of  Sunday-schools  is  made  in  the  records 
of  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia,  in  the  year  1788.  John 
Wesley  is  said  to  have  had  one  in  Savannah  even 
earlier.^  They  did  not  come  into  general  use  in  New 
York  until  the  year  1 8 14.  There  had,  however,  been  in 
that  city  a  Charity  school  (founded  in  1 709),  in  which 
tuition  was  given  every  day  in  the  week,  religious  in- 
struction being  reserved  chiefly  for  Sunday.  Bishop 
Whittingham  2  did  much  as  a  young  man,  in  con- 
nection with  the  Church  Sunday-school  Union,  to 
promote  the  interests  of  this  branch  of  work. 

As  bearing  directly  upon  the  really  educational  work 
of  the  Church,  the  efforts  in  behalf  of  Temperance 
Reform  may  well  be  included  in  the  present  chapter. 
For  many  years  these  efforts  were  rather  desultory, 
if  not  individual.  They  were  confined  also  to  total 
abstainers.  It  was  not  until  1881  that  the  Church 
Temperance  Society  was  established,  whose  basis  is 
the  co-operation  in  this  work  on  equal  terms  of  all  its 
friends,  whether  total  abstainers  or  not.  On  such  a 
Scriptural  and  reasonable  basis   as  this,  there  is  no 

^  "Early  History  of  the  Church  in  Georgia,"  by  Bishop  Stevens,  p.  37. 
'  See  p.  328., 


3IO      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

good  excuse  for  any  opponent  of  drunkenaess  not 
becoming  an  active  member  of  the  Society.  When 
such  general  sympathy  with  the  cause  is  shown,  the 
Church  will  be  able  by  this  means  more,  perhaps, 
than  by  any  other,  to  gain  the  confidence  of  the  whole 
nation ;  for  this  one  form  of  Intemperance  is,  confes- 
sedly, the  most  common  and  the  most  injurious  of  any. 
It  may  be  added  that  the  American  Society  is  modelled 
upon  the  lines  of  the  Church  of  England  Temperance 
Society,  which  has  been  the  means  of  accomplishing 
great  results  in  the  mother  country. 

The  Churchman^ s  Magazine^  published  in  New  York 
in  1804,  was  the  first  periodical  publication  of  an 
ecclesiastical  or  religious  character.  It  was  succeeded 
in  1816  by  the  Christian  Joiinial.  The  province 
even  of  weekly  papers  in  the  earlier  days  was  not  so 
much  the  communication  of  Church  news — such  items 
occupied  a  very  inconsiderable  part  of  their  space — as 
of  instruction  in  the  main  doctrines  of  the  Church,  by 
editorials,  by  correspondence,  and  by  selections  from 
approved  standards.  In  the  scarcity  of  books  bearing 
on  these  subjects,  the  agency  of  such  periodicals  was 
potent  and  very  helpful. 

The  leading  weekly  papers,  with  their  most  cele- 
brated editors,  have  been : — The  Churc/inian,  of  New 
York,  and  the  Rev.  Samuel  Seabury,  D.D. ;  the  Battncr 
of  the  Cross,  Philadelphia,  the  Rev.  John  Coleman, 
D.D. ;  the  Church  Journal,  New  York,  the  Rev.  John 
Henry  Hopkins,  Jr.,  D.D. ;  the  Episcopal  Recorder, 
afterwards  Episcopal  Register,  of  Philadelphia;  the 
Aorth-Western    Church,    afterwards    the    American 


THE  CHURCH'S  EDUCATIONAL  WORK        311 

Churchman  (the  Rev.  Hugh  Miller  Thompson,  D.D.), 
of  Chicago,  whose  successor,  the  Living  Church,  is 
now  pubhshed  in  the  same  city;  the  Standard  of  the 
Cross,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio  (the  Rev.  W.  C.  French, 
D.D.),  now  merged  with  T/ie  Church,  into  the  Church 
Standard,  of  Philadelphia ;  the  Gospel  Messenger,  of 
Utica,  New  York,  the  Rev.  John  C.  Rudd,  D.D., 
and  the  Rev.  William  T.  Gibson,  D.D. ;  and  the 
Southern  Churchman,  the  Rev.  Daniel  F.  Sprigg,  D.D., 
Richmond,  Virginia. 

In  addition  to  weekly  periodicals,  a  number  of 
monthly  and  quarterly  publications  have  from  time  to 
time  been  undertaken,  and  have  proved  very  service- 
able to  the  cause  of  Christian  education.  The  Churcli 
Review  (a  quarterly)  maintained  its  existence  for 
many  years,  and  with  it  the  name  of  the  Rev.  N.  S. 
Richardson,  D.D.,  ought  to  be  associated.  The  Church 
Eclectic,  under  the  editorship  from  the  beginning  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Gibson,  well  fills  an  important  place  in 
this  direction. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

EFFORTS  IN  BEHALF  OF  CHURCH  UNITY 

First  steps  in  this  direction  —  The  Muhlenberg  Memorial  —  Com- 
mission on  the  subject  appointed  by  the  House  of  Bishops — 
Declaration  by  the  Bishops  at  Chicago  in  i8S6 — Correspondence 
with  other  religious  bodies — The  Chicago  Declaration  adopted 
substantially  by  the  Lambeth  Conference  of  1888 — The  general 
effect  of  the  movement — The  Rev.  Dr.  Shields  and  his  help. 

The  great  and  pressing  subject  of  Church  Unity  must 
ever  be  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  His  disciples 
Who  Himself  prayed  that  these  all  might  be  one. 

It  was  first  brought  in  a  formal  way  before  the 
American  Church  as  early  as  1792,  when  at  the 
General  Convention  of  that  year  the  House  of  Bishops, 
at  the  instance  of  the  Bishop  of  Virginia,  adopted 
the  declaration  already  quoted.^ 

Many  years  elapsed  before  the  Church  was  moved 
in  like  manner  to  take  action  in  this  direction.  This 
was  in  1853,  through  a  Memorial  addressed  to  the 
House  of  Bishops,  signed  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg  and 
other  influential  clergymen,  representing  various 
schools  of  theology.- 

In  1856  a  Commission  on  Church  Unity  was  elected 

'  See  p.  172,  s^g. 

'  Dr.  Muhlenberg  himself  described  the  Memorial  as  an  effort  to 
emancipate  the  Episcopate  and  unsectarise  the  Church. 

312 


EFFORTS  IN  BEHALF  OF  CHURCH  UNITY      313 

by  that  House,  in  accordance  with  the  recommenda- 
tion of  a  special  committee  appointed  in  1853,  who 
made  an  elaborate  report  upon  the  various  subjects 
treated  of  in  the  Memorial. 

The  matter  remained  very  much  in  abeyance  until 
1 868,  when  the  House  of  Deputies  passed  a  resolution 
in  favour  of  the  appointment  of  a  Joint  Committee  as 
an  organ  of  communication  with  other  branches  of 
the  Church  and  with  the  different  Christian  bodies 
who  might  desire  information  or  conference  on  the 
subject.  The  House  of  Bishops  did  not  concur  with 
this  action,  but  appointed  from  their  own  number 
a  Commission  on  Church  Unity,  consisting  of  the 
Bishops  of  Ohio,  Maryland,  North  Carolina,  Rhode 
Island,  and  Western  New  York. 

Again  a  period  of  inaction  ensued.  In  1886,  at 
the  General  Convention  in  Chicago,  a  committee  of 
bishops  (Long  Island,  Ohio,  Central  Pennsylvania, 
Michigan,  and  Louisiana)  was  appointed  "  to  consider 
the  matter  of  the  Reunion  of  Christendom."^  In 
their  report  they  recited  the  fact  that  the  Commis- 
sion appointed  in  1853  had  formally  set  forth  and 
advocated  sundry  suggestions  and  recommendations 
intended  to  accomplish  the  great  end  in  view.  They 
further  recalled  the  action  taken  in  1880  by  the 
House  of  Bishops  in  Council,  in  answer  to  appeals 
made  by  Christians  in  foreign  countries  struggling 
to  free  themselves  from  the  usurpations  of  the  Bishop 

^  A  Memorial  on  the  subject  was  presented  at  this  session  containing 
the  names  of  over  iioo  clergyman  and  of  over  3000  laymen,  obtained 
chiefly  through  the  efforts  of  the  Rev.  S.  F.  Hotchkin. 


314      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

of  Rome.  This  action  consisted  of  a  declaration  to 
the  effect  that  "  in  virtue  of  the  solidarity  of  the 
Catholic  Episcopate,  in  which  we  have  part,  it  is  the 
right  and  duty  of  all  National  Churches  having  the 
primitive  Faith  and  Order,  and  of  the  several  bishops 
of  the  same,  to  protect  in  the  holding  of  that  Faith 
and  the  recovering  of  that  Order  those  who  have  been 
wrongfully  deprived  of  both ;  and  this  without  demand- 
ing a  rigid  uniformity,  or  the  sacrifice  of  the  national 
traditions  of  worship  and  discipline,  or  of  their  rightful 
autonomy." 

The  committee  then  went  on  to  make  the  following 
declaration  "  to  all  whom  it  may  concern,  and  especially 
to  our  fellow-Christians  of  the  different  Communions 
in  our  land,  who,  in  their  several  spheres,  have  con- 
tended for  the  religion  of  Christ : — 

"(i.)  Our  earnest  desire  that  the  Saviour's  prayer 
that  we  all  may  be  one  may,  in  its  deepest  and  truest 
sense,  be  speedily  fulfilled ; 

"(2.)  That  we  believe  that  all  who  have  been  duly 
baptized  with  water  in  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  members  of  the 
Holy  Catholic  Church ; 

"  (3.)  That  in  all  things  of  human  ordering  or  human 
choice  relating  to  modes  of  worship  and  discipline,  or  to 
traditional  customs,  this  Church  is  ready  in  the  spirit  of 
love  and  humility  to  forego  all  preferences  of  her  own  ; 

"  (4.)  That  this  Church  does  not  seek  to  absorb  other 
Communions,  but  rather,  co-operating  with  them  on 
the  basis  of  a  common  Faith  and  Order  to  discounte- 
nance schism,  to  heal  the  wounds  of  the  Body  of  Christ, 


EFFORTS  IN  BEHALF  OF  CHURCH  UNITY     315 

and  to  promote  the  Charity  which  is  the  chief  of 
Christian  graces,  and  the  visible  manifestation  of  Christ 
to  the  world. 

"But  furthermore,  we  do  hereby  affirm  that  the  Chris- 
tian unity  now  so  earnestly  desired  by  the  memorialists 
can  be  restored  only  by  the  return  of  all  Christian 
Communions  to  the  principles  of  unity  exemplified  by 
the  undivided  Catholic  Church  during  the  first  ages  of 
its  existence,  which  principles  we  believe  to  be  the 
substantial  deposit  of  Christian  Faith  and  Order  com- 
mitted by  Christ  and  His  Apostles  to  the  Church  unto 
the  end  of  the  world,  and  therefore  incapable  of  com- 
promise or  surrender  by  those  who  have  been  ordained 
to  be  its  stewards  and  trustees  for  the  common  and 
equal  benefit  of  all  men. 

"As  inherent  parts  of  this  sacred  deposit,  and  there- 
fore as  essential  to  the  restoration  of  unity  among 
the  divided  branches  of  Christendom,  we  account  the 
following,  to  wit : — 

"(I.)  The  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testament  as  the  Revealed  Word  of  God ; 

"  (II.)  The  Nicene  Creed  as  the  sufficient  statement 
of  the  Christian  Faith  ; 

"  (III.)  The  two  Sacraments  —  Baptism  and  the 
Supper  of  the  Lord — ministered  with  unfailing  use  of 
Christ's  words  of  institution  and  of  the  elements 
ordained  by  Him  ; 

"(IV.)  The  Historic  Episcopate  locally  adapted  in 
the  methods  of  its  administration  to  the  varying  needs 
of  the  nations  and  peoples  called  of  God  into  the  Unity 
of  His  Church. 


3i6      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

"  Furthermore,  deeply  grieved  by  the  sad  divisions 
which  afflict  the  Cliristian  Church  in  our  own  land,  we 
hereby  declare  our  desire  and  readiness,  so  soon  as 
there  shall  be  any  authorised  response  to  this  Declara- 
tion, to  enter  into  brotherly  conference  with  all  or  any 
Christian  bodies  seeking  the  restoration  of  the  organic 
Unity  of  the  Church  with  a  view  to  the  earnest  study 
of  the  conditions  under  which  so  priceless  a  blessing 
might  happily  be  brought  to  pass." 

This  report  was  adopted  and  communicated  to  the 
House  of  Deputies,  who  subsequently  asked  again  for 
the  appointment  of  a  Joint  Commission  on  the  subject. 
This  action  was  finally  concurred  in,  and  it  was  made 
the  province  of  the  Commission  to  communicate  to  the 
organised  Christian  bodies  of  the  country  the  Declara- 
tion set  forth  by  the  House  of  Bishops,  and  to  hold 
themselves  ready  to  enter  into  brotherly  conference 
with  all  or  any  such  bodies  seeking  the  restoration  of 
the  organic  unity  of  the  Church. 

This  Commission  reported  to  the  General  Conven- 
tion of  1889  that  they  were  in  active  correspondence 
w^ith  like  commissions  appointed  by  the  following 
bodies :  The  Presbyterian  General  Assembly ;  the 
General  Synod  of  Evangelical  Lutherans ;  the  United 
General  Council  South  of  the  Evangelical  Lutherans ; 
the  Provincial  Synod  of  the  Moravians.  It  was  also 
reported  that  there  was  a  probability  of  the  acceptance 
of  the  bishops'  basis  by  several  organisations  of 
Christians.  The  members  of  the  Church  Commission 
expressed  their  "earnest  wish,  in  the  interests  of  the 
promotion  of  Christian  Unity,  that  on  all  stated  occa- 


EFFORTS  IN  BEHALF  OF  CHURCH  UNITY     317 

sions  of  public  worship,  opportunity  be  given  to  every 
congregation  of  Christian  men  to  repeat  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  the  Creed,  and  to  hear  the  Decalogue  read  to 
them." 

In  1892  the  Commission  reported  a  conference  with 
a  committee  of  Presbyterians,  with  whom  there  was  a 
full  and  frank  interchange  of  opinion,  the  Presbyterians 
acknowledging  that  corporate  union  and  unity  must  be 
the  result  of  the  Commission's  quest.  They  add  that 
"a  corporate  body  without  a  polity  instantly  develops 
anarchy."  "The  necessity  for  the  declaration  of  our 
fourth  proposition  as  an  essential  clement  of  unity  be- 
comes plain  and  unmistakable."  In  addition  to  the 
Commission,  there  is  an  unofficial  organisation  known 
as  the  Church  Unity  Society,  whose  endeavours  are 
in  the  same  direction. 

Additional  significance  and  importance  were  given 
to  the  bishops'  Declaration  because  of  its  adoption 
as  the  basis  of  what  was  promulgated  on  the  subject 
by  the  Lambeth  Conference  of  18S8.  The  first  two 
articles  were  then  made  to  read  as  follows  : — 

"(I.)  The  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments as  containing  all  things  necessary  to  salvation, 
and  as  being  the  rule  and  ultimate  standard  of  faith. 

"  (II.)  The  Apostles'  Creed,  as  the  Baptismal  Symbol, 
and  the  Nicene  Creed,  as  the  sufficient  statement  of 
the  Christian  Faith." 

The  third  was  altered  by  the  addition  of  the  words 
"Ordained  by  Christ  Himself,"  after  the  words  "The 
two  Sacraments."  The  fourth  was  adopted  verbatim 
as  put  forth  at  Chicago. 


3i8      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

By  the  widespread  publication  and  discussion  of 
what  is  popularly  known  as  "The  Quadrilateral," 
much  attention  has  been  drawn  to  the  subject  of  which 
it  treats,  and  while  it  may  be  premature  at  this  time 
to  enumerate  any  practical  results,  yet  from  what  has 
actually  transpired  it  is  safe  to  affirm  that  the  cause 
of  Christian  Unity  at  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury occupies  a  much  more  advantageous  and  hopeful 
position  than  was  the  case  at  its  beginning. 

Among  those  outside  of  the  Church  who  have 
manifested  a  lively  interest  in  the  matter,  no  one, 
perhaps,  has  more  contributed  to  its  better  under- 
standing than  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  W.  Shields,  a 
prominent  Presbyterian  divine.  His  recent  work 
entitled  "  The  Historic  Episcopate  "  is  in  every  way  a 
remarkable  and  helpful  publication.  Unhesitatingly 
accepting  the  first  three  articles  of  the  Declaration, 
he  gives  to  the  fourth  a  generous  interpretation  that 
materially  aids  the  object  he  has  so  much  at  heart. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

REVISION  OF  THE  PRAYER-BOOK  AND  OF  THE 
HYMNAL 

Joint  Committee  on  Liturgical  Revision  appointed  in  1880 — Its  Report 
in  1883 — Acted  upon  finally  in  1892 — The  chief  changes  adopted 
— Revision  of  the  Hymnal — Action  of  the  General  Conventions  of 
1859, 1868, 1 87 1,  1874 — The  addition  of  the  Evangelical  Hymns — 
A  new  Commission  appointed  in  1886,  Final  action  in  1892 — 
Printing  of  the  Canticles  and  Psalter — Oldest  surpliced  choirs — 
Their  discontinuance  and  revival — Introduction  of  vested  female 
choristers. 

Allusion  has  been  made,  in  connection  with  the 
question  of  Church  Unity,  to  tlie  memorial  of  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  and  others,  presented  to  the  House  of 
Bishops  in  1853.  In  the  same  memorial,  the  matter 
of  Liturgical  Revision  was  discussed.  In  1856,  the 
House  adopted  resolutions  looking  to  greater  flexi- 
bility or  variety  in  the  use  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Pra3'er,  and  to  special  services  in  harmony  therewith. 
In  1859  the  House  of  Deputies  complained  that  this 
action  had  disturbed  the  minds  of  many,  both  as  to 
its  effect  and  as  to  its  constitutionality ;  but  the 
bishops  declined  to  reconsider  their  decision.  As 
time  went  on,  the  almost  superstitious  reverence  for 
the  Prayer-Book  which  forbade  even  the  correction 
of  distinct  typographical  errors,  and  ignored  the 
changes  which  a  hundred  3'ears  had  wrought  in  the 


320      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

country,  yielded  to  the  conviction  that  it  was  expedient 
at  least  to  discuss  the  question  of  some  alteration 
by  way  of  enrichment.  At  the  General  Convention 
held  in  i88o,  a  resolution  offered  by  the  Rev.  William 
R.  Huntington,  D.D.,  was  adopted,  by  which  there 
was  constituted  a  Joint  Committee  of  both  Houses, 
which  was  to  consider  and  report  whether  "  the 
changed  conditions  of  the  national  life  do  not  demand 
certain  alterations  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
in  the  direction  of  liturgical  enrichment  and  increased 
flexibility  of  use."  In  the  House  of  Deputies,  out  of 
forty-three  dioceses  represented  by  the  clergy,  thirty- 
three  voted  in  its  favour;  and  put  of  thirty-five 
dioceses  represented  by  the  laity,  twenty  voted  in  its 
favour. 

In  1883  this  Committee  reported  one  hundred  and 
ninety-six  separate  alterations  and  additions,  which 
they  recommended  for  adoption.  These  were  all  sub- 
mitted, under  the  two  rules  which  the  Committee  had 
early  laid  down  as  those  which  they  should  observe 
in  proceeding  with  their  work.  One  was  to  the  effect 
that  no  alteration  should  be  made  in  the  Prayer-Book 
touching  either  statements  or  standards  of  doctrine, 
and  the  other,  that  in  any  suggestions  the  Committee 
should  be  guided  by  those  principles  of  liturgical 
construction  and  ritual  use  already  recognised  in  that 
book.  Such  changes  as  were  approved,  either  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  Committee  or  on  the  motion  of 
other  members  of  the  Convention,  were  made  known 
(as  provided  for  by  the  Constitution)  to  the  Conven- 
tion of  every  diocese,  and  were  brought  up  for  final 


REVISION  OF  PRAYER-BOOK  AND  HYMNAL    321 

adoption  at  the  General  Convention  of  1886.  These 
numbered  one  hundred  and  eighty-two,  of  which  only 
ninety-four  came  to  a  final  vote,  and  eighty-seven  were 
adopted.  At  this  Convention  additional  changes  were 
approved,  these  being  adopted  in  1889  to  the  number 
of  seventeen.  In  the  latter  year  still  further  changes 
were  proposed,  and  forty-three  of  the  fifty-two  then 
submitted  were  finally  adopted  in  1892.  Of  the  whole 
number  (about  one  hundred  and  fifty)  a  considerable 
part  covered  matters  of  comparatively  minor  importance, 
having  to  do  with  the  elucidation  of  rubrical  obscurities, 
or  inaccuracies.  It  took  twelve  resolutions  to  readjust 
the  rubrics  in  the  Institution  Office. 

Besides  these  alterations  and  additions,  there  were 
made  in  1892  (on  the  recommendation  of  a  joint- 
committee  which  had  been  appointed  in  18S9  to 
prepare  and  submit  for  approval  a  standard  Prayer- 
Book)  a  large  number  of  corrections  of  typographical 
and  other  inaccuracies,  some  of  them  scarcely  less 
important  than  the  other  changes  already  noted. 

The  whole  matter  attracted  great  attention,  and 
interest  in  its  accomplishment  remained  unflagging 
to  the  end.  Much  research  and  scholarship  were 
exhibited  on  every  side,  and  happily  there  was  almost 
an  entire  absence  of  anything  like  partisan  controversy. 
All  parties  were  sincerely  desirous  of  making  such  a  re- 
vision as  should,  while  fairly  reflecting  the  convictions 
and  wants  of  the  present  generation,  be  in  entire 
harmony  with  really  Catholic  rule  and  tradition.  It 
would  be  quite  impossible  here  to  note  all  the  various 
changes  now  incorporated  in  a  book  which,  it  is  hoped, 


322      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

may  not  be  materially  altered  for  another  century. 
An  impartial  examination  of  them  cannot  fail  to  per- 
suade any  one  that  there  has  been  a  distinct  and 
considerable  gain  in  the  directions  in  which  the  labours 
of  the  Revisers  were  from  the  first  engaged.  Among 
these  Revisers,  it  will  not  be  amiss  to  mention  three 
to  whom  the  Church  is  especially  indebted,  both  for 
their  assiduous  work,  and  for  their  charitable  con- 
sideration for  all  lawful  taste  and  prejudice — the  Right 
Rev.  Dr.  William  C.  Doane,  Bishop  of  Albany ;  the 
Rev.  William  R.  Huntington,  D.D. ;  and  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Hart,  D.D.  It  was  a  delicate  and  complicated 
undertaking,  and  its  happy  conclusion  was  everywhere 
hailed  with  devout  thankfulness. 

Chief  among  these  changes,  the  following  may  be 
mentioned  :  the  addition  of  the  Feast  of  the  Trans- 
figuration to  the  Calendar,  of  Sentences  in  Morning 
and  Evening  Prayer,  and  of  Versicles  in  Evening 
Prayer;  the  occasional  shortening  of  Morning  and 
Evening  Prayer ;  the  insertion  of  the  Magnificat  and 
of  the  Nunc  Ditnittis,  and  of  the  full  text  of  the 
Beiiedictus;  the  addition  of  Special  Prayers,  e.g.,  for 
the  Unity  of  God's  People,  for  Missions,  for  Fruitful 
Seasons ;  of  a  second  Collect,  Epistle,  and  Gospel  for 
Christmas  Day  and  Easter  Day;  of  a  lesson  in  the 
Order  of  Confirmation ;  of  additional  Prayers  in  the: 
Burial  Office;  the  printing  of  the  Canticles  and  Psalms 
with  the  musical  colon ;  the  requirement  of  the  use  of 
the  Nicene  Creed  on  certain  festivals ;  the  printing  of 
the  Articles  of  Religion  at  the  end  of  the  Prayer-Book 
with  a  distinct  title-page ;  and  the  printing  of  what  is 


REVISION  OF  PRAYER-BOOK  AND  HYMNAL     323 

"  commonly  called  the  Nicene  Creed "  in  its  place  in 
the  Communion  Office. 

It  had  long  been  felt  that  some  revision  of  the 
Hymnal  of  the  Church  was  wanted/  as  well  to  be  rid 
of  the  poorer  ones  among  Tate  and  Brady's  Selections 
from  the  Psalms,  as  to  add  to  the  meagre  collection 
of  hymns.  Accordingly  in  1859  a  joint-committee  on 
the  subject  was  appointed  by  the  General  Convention. 
In  1865  the  Bishops  set  forth  sixty-five  additional 
hymns,  and  a  commission  of  their  number  was  em- 
powered to  license  additional  ones  until  the  next  Con- 
vention. In  1868  the  sixty-five  were  adopted  and 
allowed  to  be  bound  up  with  the  Pra3'er-Book,  and  the 
Bishops  were  authorised  to  license  hymns  from  the 
collections  known  as  "  Hymns  for  Church  and  Home" 
and  "Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern."  In  1871  a 
Hymnal  was  reported,  and,  in  addition  to  the  hymns 
then  ordinarily  bound  up  with  the  Prayer-Book, 
authorised.  Its  use  was  to  begin  on  the  Feast  of 
the  Epiphany,  1872.  The  copyright  was  vested  in 
the  trustees  of  the  Fund  for  the  Relief  of  the  Widows 
and  Orphans  of  Clergymen,  and  of  Aged,  Infirm,  and 
Disabled  Clergymen,  to  which  fund  a  royalty  of  ten 
per  cent,  was  to  be  paid. 

The  Hymnal  was  altered  again  in  1874,  and  con- 
sisted of  sixty  of  the  former  selection  of  Psalms,  and 
two  hundred  and    seventy- one   new  hymns,  while  a 


'  In  the  original  collection  the  hymns  numbered  only  twenty-seven. 
In  1808  there  were  thirty  added.  In  1832  the  total  number  of  hymns 
was  two  hundred  and  twelve,  while  a  selection  from  the  Psalms  in  metre 
was  made  to  the  extent  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  four. 


324      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

number  of  the  old  ones  were  dropped.  It  was  not 
allowed  to  be  bound  up  with  the  Prayer-Book, 

In  1880,  what  are  styled  the  Evangelical  Hymns — 
the  Magnificat^  the  Song  of  Simeon,  and  that  of 
Zacharias — were  added  to  the  Hymnal,  as  they  stand 
in  the  English  Prayer-Book.  Up  to  this  time  the 
Benedictus  in  the  American  Prayer-Book  consisted 
only  of  the  first  four  verses ;  while  the  other  two 
hymns  were  not  found  there  at  all. 

In  1886  the  General  Convention  appointed  a  joint- 
committee  to  which  was  referred  the  duty  of  submitting 
a  revised  Hymnal,  with  authority  to  call  to  its  aid  any 
such  persons  skilled  in  hymnody  as  they  might  select. 
In  1889  an  improved  Hymnal  was  reported,  which, 
having  been  considered,  was  recommitted  to  a  com- 
mission, who  laid  before  the  General  Convention  of 
1892  an  elaborate  report  on  the  whole  subject.  After 
much  deliberation,  a  still  further  improved  Hymnal  was 
adopted  and  licensed  for  use  until  the  meeting  of  the 
General  Convention  in  1895.  A  resolution  to  allow  it 
to  be  bound  up  with  the  Prayer-Book  was  not  adopted. 
At  the  same  time,  a  joint-commission  was  appointed 
to  make  a  pointing  for  the  chanting  of  the  Canticles  in 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  with  authority  to  print 
it  in  the  Hymnal  as  an  Appendix.  The  Psalms  had 
already  in  the  Revision  of  the  Prayer-Book  been  pointed 
with  the  musical  colon. 

The  oldest  boy  choir  of  which  there  appears  to  be  any 
record  belonged  to  S.  Michael's  Church,  Charleston, 
South  Carolina.  In  1798  there  was  a  bill  for  "wash- 
ing the  surplaces  {sic)  of  clergy  and  children."     A  little 


REVISION  OF  PRAYER-BOOK  AND  HYMNAL     325 

earlier  the  vestry  requested  the  rector  to  entertain,  at 
their  expense,  six  of  the  orphan  boys  on  Sunday,  as 
"an  incitement  for  their  better  performance  of  the 
Service;"  and  in  1807  the  organist  is  requested  to 
have  at  least  twelve  choir-boys.  In  18 16  a  parishioner 
of  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia,  left  by  will  a  share  in 
the  Bank  of  Pennsylvania,  of  the  value  of  $400,  in 
trust,  as  the  nucleus  of  a  fund  "  for  teaching  six  bo3^s 
as  a  choir  to  sing  in  the  orchestra  "  of  that  church. 

Long  before  the  middle  of  the  century,  nearly  all 
such  choirs  had  disappeared.  During  the  famous 
debate,  in  1844,  concerning  the  election  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Hawks  to  the  Episcopate,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Mead  of 
Connecticut,  in  describing  one  of  them  which  Dr. 
Hawks  had  in  S.  Thomas's  Hall,  Flushing,  said, 
"  This  is  the  only  instance  of  the  use  of  the  surplice 
in  that  way  I  have  ever  known."  In  1850  these 
choirs  were  revived,  first  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Muhlenberg, 
at  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  New  York. 
In  1858  Trinity  Church  in  the  same  city  introduced 
one;  but  there,  as  elsewhere,  the  choristers  were  not 
at  first  vested  in  surplices — appearing  simply  in  their 
every  -  day  costume.  As  late  as  1 87 1  (such  choirs 
being  then  found  in  sixteen  dioceses)  a  clergyman  of 
the  diocese  of  Ohio  was  presented  by  his  Bishop  for 
trial,  on  the  ground  of  violation  of  the  doctrine  and  dis- 
cipline of  the  Church,  and  of  his  ordination  vow,  be- 
cause he  had  refused,  at  the  Bishop's  request,  to  disband 
his  surpliced  choir  and  give  up  processional  singing.^ 

*  The  same  bishop  refused  to  consecrate  a  church  in  his  diocese  until 
the  panels  in  the  altar  were  sawed  out. 


3:6      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Several  ineffectual  attempts  were  made  to  bring  hirti 
to  trial ;  but  finally  he  discontinued  both  practices, 
under  protest. 

During  more  recent  years,  commencing  about  1890, 
women  have  been  introduced  with  men  and  boys  into 
choirs,  in  vestments — in  some  instances  peculiar  to 
themselves ;  in  others,  such  as  have  hitherto  been  worn 
exclusively  by  male  singers.  This  latter  feature  has 
not  met  with  general  approval,  some  bishops  publicly 
condemning  it. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
LATER  ECCLESIASTICAL  LEADERS 

Bishop  Alonzo  Potter — Rev.  Dr.  Mahan — Dr.  Evans — Bishop  Whitting- 
ham — The  Rev.  Dr.  Tyng — The  Rev.  Dr.  Muhlenberg — Church 
Hospitals  —  Hon.  Murray  Hoffman  —  Bishop  Horaiio  Potter  — 
Governor  Baldwin — Dr.  Shatluck — Bisliop  Brooks. 

Where  so  many  men  have  exhibited  such  ability  and 
consecration,  it  seems  almost  invidious  to  select  only 
a  few  more  names  for  commemoration  in  the  present 
volume.  And  yet  there  are  some  not  already  men- 
tioned which  may,  with  entire  propriety,  be  recorded  as 
contributing  to  the  general  results  which  go  to  make 
up  our  history.  The  third  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania,  the 
Right  Rev.  Alonzo  Potter,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  was  among 
the  most  sagacious  and  practical  prelates  of  his  day 
( 1 800-1 865).  His  plans  of  Church  extension  and 
benevolence  were  large  and  costly ;  but  such  was  his 
wisdom,  and  the  people's  faith  in  his  administrative 
ability,  that  ready  hands  were  always  found  to  co- 
operate with  him  for  their  successful  accomplishment. 
Not  a  few  flourishing  institutions  owe  their  origin 
chiefly  to  him.  His  intellectual  force  and  spiritual 
fervour  were  recognised  by  all.^ 

Among  the  men  of  genius,  none  were  more  remark- 

^  See  pp.  297,  306. 
327 


328      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

able  than  the  Rev.  Dr.  Milo  Mahan  (i 8 19- 1870), 
chiefly  known  as  the  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History 
in  the  General  Theological  Seminar}'.  When  he  was 
not  thirty  years  of  age,  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  who  had 
taught  him  as  a  lad,  styled  him  the  first  man  as  to 
intellect  in  the  Chin-ch,  young  or  old.  His  learning 
was  vast  and  varied.  He  was  an  authority  on 
almost  any  point  in  controversy  He  was  especially 
successful  in  clearing  away  Roman  doubts  from 
men's  minds,  and  in  settling  their  consciences  firmly 
and  intelligently  upon  the  basis  of  true  Catholicity. 
His  genial  disposition  and  keen  wit  made  him  in  all 
circles  a  most  delightful  companion. 

Among  the  laymen  belonging  to  this  period,  very 
few  were  better  known,  and  very  few  at  any  time  did 
better  service  to  the  Church,  than  Hugh  Davey  Evans, 
LL.D.,  of  Baltimore.  Both  in  his  own  diocese  (Mary- 
land), and  in  the  various  ecclesiastical  councils  with 
which  he  was  connected,  and  as  editor  of  the  Tn/e 
CatJiolic,  he  became  one  of  the  most  eminent  and 
honoured  of  those  teaching  laymen,  who,  as  his  Bishop 
said  of  him,  "  shine  forth  from  time  to  time  in  adorn- 
ment of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  by  vindication  in  their 
own  persons  of  the  rights  and  obligations  of  the 
universal  priesthood  in  His  mystical  Body,  the  visible 
Church  on  earth." 

His  diocesan,  the  Right  Rev.  William  Rollinson 
Whittingham,  D.D.,  LL.D.  (i 805-1 879),  was  recog- 
nised on  every  hand  as  the  most  learned  bishop  of 
his  day.  From  eai'ly  childhood  he  had  shown  great 
aptitude   for   studies   in   various   directions,    and   his 


LATER  ECCLESIASTICAL  LEADERS  329 

attainments  in  theological  literature  made  him  an 
authority  as  to  accuracy  and  fulness  that  could  not 
be  gainsaid.  His  devotion  to  the  work  of  his  office 
was  very  marked,  and  his  advocacy,  both  with  pen  and 
voice,  of  Church  principles,  did  much  to  win  for  them 
loyal  disciples  in  every  section  of  the  land.  His 
firm  faith  never  showed  itself  more  conspicuously  than 
in  his  really  eloquent  appeals — some  of  which  are 
still  remembered  as  surpassingly  effective — for  greater 
aggressiveness  in  missionary  work.  As  an  illustration 
of  his  fervid  preaching,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  when 
still  a  young  man  he  delivered  in  Grace  Church,  New 
York,  a  sermon  immediately  after  the  great  fire  of  1835. 
After  the  service,  a  stranger  waited  upon  him  in  the 
vestry,  and  asked  him  to  lend  the  discourse  which  he 
had  just  heard.  Whittingham  declined.  The  gentle- 
man continuing  to  urge  his  request,  the  preacher  said 
he  would  not  lend  the  sermon,  but  would  give  it. 
This  he  did,  and  the  next  day  he  received  from  the 
stranger  a  cheque  for  |20,ooo,  to  be  applied  to  such 
charities  as  he  might  choose. 

He  was  decidedly  in  advance  of  many  of  his  contem- 
poraries in  advocating  the  creation  of  smaller  dioceses 
— a  subject  which  he  was  particularly  well  fitted  to 
discuss  from  his  extensive  knowledge  of  ecclesiastical 
history.  At  the  Convention  of  the  New  York  diocese 
in  1837,  he  made  an  able  argument  in  this  direction, 
which  was  combated  by  many  prominent  colleagues.^ 

'  The  division  of  this  large  diocese  (which  then  comprised  the 
entire  State  of  New  York)  was  shortly  afterwards  accomplished.  Since 
then  three  other  divisions  have  been  made  in  that  portion  of  the  State 


3J0      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

His  convictions  were  always  very  strong,  and  at  times 
lie  encountered  much  opposition ;  but  no  controver- 
sialist was  more  fair  and  chivalrous. 

There  died  about  the  same  time  (1878)  another  man 
of  strong  convictions,  which,  however,  led  him  into  the 
very  opposite  direction,  so  far  as  Churchmanship  was 
concerned — the  Rev.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  D.D.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  was  the  recognised  and  conspicuous 
leader  of  those  who  belonged  to  what  is  known  as  the 
Evangelical  school  of  theology.  It  was  in  Philadelphia 
(first  at  S.  Paul's  Church,  and  afterwards  at  the 
Church  of  the  Epiphany),  and  in  New  York,  while 
rector  of  S.  George's  Church,  that  his  ministry  was 
chiefly  exercised.  His  personality  was  striking,  his 
courage  invincible,  and  his  zeal  most  constant ;  while 
his  devout  consecration  to  his  Master's  work  was  very 
evident.  Although  in  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  he 
was  anything  but  successful  in  extempore  preaching, 
he  eventually  became  quite  renowned  in  this  regard, 
and  during  the  height  of  his  activity,  was,  in  the  judg- 
ment of  many,  the  most  effective  platform  speaker  in 
America.  His  administrative  abilities  were  also  of  a 
high  order.  In  nothing  did  these  show  themselves 
more  distinctly  than  in  his  arrangement  of  his  Sunday-- 
schools  and  of  his  parish  missions.  At  one  time  he 
had  as  many  as  two  thousand  children  in  these  schools, 
and  could,  it  is  said,  call  them  all  by  their  names. 

The    Rev.    William    Augustus    Muhlenberg,    D.D. 

which  continued  to  be  known  as  the  Diocese  of  New  York.  It  is  in 
contemplation  to  make  shortly  two  more  dioceses  within  the  same 
territory. 


'       LATER  ECCLESIASTICAL  LEADERS  331 

{1796- 1 877),  was  a  man  who  combined  many  of  the 
qualities  possessed  by  the  two  distinguished  clergymen 
last  named.  His  Churchmanship  was  mixed;  but  he 
was  intensely  loving  and  practical,  and  very  winning 
in  his  ways.  In  some  of  his  discourses  and  practices, 
it  would  have  been  easy  to  rank  him  with  either  school 
of  theology ;  and  few  men  have  had  more  completely 
the  confidence  of  the  whole  Church.  Thus  he  was  en- 
abled to  commend  some  most  important  projects  with- 
out their  receiving  any  partisan  badge.  More,  perhaps, 
to  him  than  to  any  one  else  is  due  the  establishment 
of  the  weekly  Celebration  and  weekly  Offertory,  the 
greater  interest  in  and  higher  tone  of  Church  music, 
the  preaching  in  the  surplice,  the  division  of  the  offices 
on  Sunday  morning,  the  daily  sisrvice,  the  free- church 
system,  and  Sisterhoods.  It  may  be  that  as  to  some 
of  these  things  there  were  other  clergymen  in  advance 
of  him  as  to  the  point  of  time.  But  from  the  character 
already  ascribed  to  him,  these  things  came  to  many 
from  him  without  that  prejudice  which  their  estab- 
lishment elsewhere  created.  Moreover,  the  nearness 
of  his  church  to  the  General  Theological  Seminary 
induced  many  of  its  students  to  attend,  who  became 
more  or  less  indoctrinated  with  his  practices. 

To  him  also  may  be  chiefly  attributed  the  rise  of  the 
various  Church  institutions,  now  happily  so  numerous, 
for  the  care  of  the  poor,  the  sick,  and  the  afflicted. 
The  first  to  take  shape  was  S.  Luke's  Hospital,  at 
present  large  and  very  prosperous.  The  beginning  of 
the  fund  for  its  establishment  was  one  half  (amounting 
only  to  a  little  more  than  I30)  of  a  collection  at  his 


332      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

church  on  S.  Luke's  Day,  1846.  S.  Johnland,  on 
Long  Island,  was  the  chief  outcome  in  later  years  of 
his  benevolent  ideas.^ 

He  was  much  interested  in  the  hymnody  of  the 
Church,  to  which  he  made  several  contributions  which 
became  very  popular.  Especially  was  this  the  case 
with  the  hymn  "  I  would  not  live  alway."  He  devoted 
much  of  his  time  in  the  earlier  years  of  his  life  to 
educational  matters,  and  founded  several  schools.  The 
principal  one  of  these  was  S.  Paul's  College,  Flushing, 
which  had  among  its  students  not  a  few  who  after- 
wards became  famous  in  various  walks  of  life,  and 
which  also  served  as  the  model  for  a  number  of  similar 
schools. 

It  would  indeed  be  hard  to  over-estimate  the  helpful 
influence  of  his  long  and  industrious  life.  "  He  was, 
perhaps  beyond  any  man  in  his  time — whether  bishop, 
priest,  or  layman — the  common  property  of  the  Church 
throughout  the  land.  Scarcely  any  important  move- 
ment can  be  named  peculiar  to  the  last  forty  or  fifty 
years  of  our  Church  life,  and  which  will  be  likely  to 
tell  upon  the  next  half-century  of  that  life,  that  he  did 
not  originate  or  help  others  to  originate."  ^ 

New  York  has,  naturally  enough,  furnished  the 
Church  with  many  recognised  leaders,  both  clerical 
and  lay.  Among  the  latter  the  Hon.  Murray  Hoff- 
man,   LL.D.  (179 1-1878),  was   conspicuous,  because 


*  The  Episcopal  Hospital  in  Thiladelphia  was  established  in  the 
year  1851,  chiefly  through  the  exertions  of  Bishop  Alonzo  Potter  and 
William  Welsh. 

^  From  the  Annual  Address  of  the  Bishop  of  Long  Island,  in  1877. 


LATER  Ecclesiastical  leaders       333 

not  only  of  his  general  ability  and  devotion,  but  also 
especially  for  his  contributions  to  the  study  of  Eccle- 
siastical Law,  in  which  department  he  soon  became 
an  acknowledged  authority.^ 

The  services  rendered  to  the  Church  at  a  critical 
period  by  Bishop  Horatio  Potter^  (1802- 1887)  cannot 
be  too  gratefully  remembered.  First,  as  Provisional 
Bishop,  and  afterwards,  upon  Bishop  Onderdonk's 
death,  as  Bishop  of  New  York,  he  was  beset  with  many 
trying  and  anxious  questions,  whose  just  and  happy 
settlement  required  an  unusual  amount  of  courage, 
wisdom,  and  impartiality.  These  qualities  he  was  en- 
abled, by  God's  grace,  to  exemplify  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  bring  unity  and  peace  where  much  unrest,  con- 
troversy, and  foreboding  had  existed.  His  other  quali- 
ties easily  made  for  him  a  most  influential  place  in  the 
councils  of  the  Churchy 

No  layman  contributed  more  in  every  way  to  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  the  Church  than  the  Hon. 
Henry  P.  Baldwin  of  Detroit,  Michigan  (18 14-1892). 
Esteemed  alike  as  a  Churchman  and  a  citizen — holding 
in  both  capacities  offices  of  distinguished  honour — his 
efforts  were  always  most  cheerfully  and  liberally  put 
forth  to  advance  every  good  cause.  In  the  West 
especially,  his  support  and  maintenance  of  Church 
principles  were  of  great  and  permanent  value. 

Another  layman  should  have  at  least  a  brief  com- 
memoration in  this  volume — Dr.  George  C.  Shattuck,  of 
Boston.     Intelligent,  enthusiastic,  and  devout,  he  was 

*  See,  e.^.,  his  treatise  on  "The  Ritual  Law  of  the  Church." 

*  Brother  of  Bishop  Alonzo  Potter. 


334      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

for  many  years  a  familiar  figure  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Church's  most  earnest  workers.  He  will  be  remem- 
bered chiefly,  perhaps,  as  the  generous  founder  (in 
1856)  of  S.  Paul's  School  at  Concord,  New  Hampshire. 
This  has  come,  under  the  administration  from  the  be- 
ginning of  its  model  head-master,  the  Rev.  Henry  A. 
Coit,  D.D.,  to  be  recognised  as  the  foremost  ecclesias- 
tical institution  of  its  kind  in  the  land. 

The  name  of  Phillips  Brooks  (1835-1893)  had  been 
for  many  years  widely  known  in  both  continents.  His 
reputation  as  a  preacher  has  rarely  been  equalled  by 
any  American  divine,  and  his  manly  attributes  made 
him  devoted  friends  everywhere.  When  he  was 
chosen,  in  189 1,  Bishop  of  Massachusetts,  there  was 
(not  for  the  first  time,  however)  a  very  earnest  contro- 
versy as  to  the  orthodoxy  of  some  of  his  theological 
views.  His  election  was  barely  confirmed  by  the 
Bishops.  While  many  persons  could  not  overcome 
their  repugnance  to  what  they  deemed  his  gross  errors 
in  doctrine,  none  could  fail  to  appreciate  the  modesty 
and  spiritual  fervour  that  characterised  his  life  and 
work,  both  as  priest  and  bishop.  His  death,  in  less 
than  two  years  after  his  consecration,  was  a  shock  to 
those  who  had  gazed  with  admiration  upon  his  splendid 
physique,  which  seemed  to  give  a  power  of  its  own  to 
his  remarkable  eloquence. 


CHAPTER  XX 

ADDITIONAL  HISTORY  OF  TRINITY  CHURCH, 
NEW  YORK 

Succession  of  rectors^Number  of  churches  and  chapels — Amounts 
given  by  the  Corporation — Attacks  upon  the  parish — Legacies  to 
the  parish— Leake  and  Watts  Orphan  Asylum. 

Trinity  Church,  New  York,  has  been  for  many  years 
the  foremost  parish  in  America,  and  as  such,  deserves 
some  fuller  account  of  its  history.^  Upon  the  death 
of  its  first  rector,  the  Rev.  William  Vesey,^  the  vestry 
chose  as  his  successor  the  Rev.  Henry  Barclay.  He 
was  a  missionary  of  the  S.P.G.  at  Albany  and  its 
vicinity,  who  had  devoted  himself  with  especial  zeal 
to  evangelistic  work  among  the  Mohawk  Indians. 
His  death  occurred  in  August  1764,  and  almost  imme- 
diately the  vacancy  thus  created  was  filled  by  the 
election  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Auchmuty,  D.D.,  who, 
in  turn,  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Inglis, 
D.D.2  The  next  rector  (i 784-1 800)  was  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Provost,  D.D.*  He  was  followed  (180C-1816) 
first  by  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Moore,  D.D.,^  and  then 
(1816-1830)    by   the    Rev.   John    H.    Hobart,    D.D.° 

^  See  p.  34.  *  See  p.  36. 

^  See  p.  103  si/g.  *  See  p.  208  s^y. 

^  See  p.  198  5(/^.  *  See  p.  230  s(j(/. 


336      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Tlie  Rev.  William  Berrian,  D.D.,  was  the  incumbent 
from  1830  until  1862,  since  which  time  the  parish  has 
been  singularly  fortunate  in  having  as  its  head  the 
Rev.  Morgan  Dix,  D.D. 

Three  church-buildings  have  occupied  the  present 
site,  the  one  now  standing  having  been  completed  in 
1846.  It  was  built  from  plans  by  Richard  Upjohn, 
who  may  be  styled  the  father  of  American  Church- 
architecture.  Many  other  chapels  and  churches,  both 
in  the  city  of  New  York  and  elsewhere,  have  been 
erected  wholly  or  in  part  by  means  furnished  by  this 
parish.  At  the  present  time,  there  are  directly  con- 
nected with  it  six  thoroughly-equipped  chapels,  in 
addition  to  which  several  parishes  (chiefly  among  the 
poorer  people)  are  annually  receiving  from  it  substan- 
tial aid.  Not  a  few  educational  institutions  and 
other  ecclesiastical  enterprises  are  among  its  bene- 
ficiaries. The  Rev.  Dr.  Berrian  calculated  ^  that  up 
to  1847  the  gifts  thus  made  amounted  to  more  than 
$2,000,000.  Since  then  an  equally  generous  policy 
has  been  pursued,  although  the  actual  income  of  the 
corporation  is  much  less  than  is  generally  supposed.^ 

The  cupidity  of  self-styled  heirs,  and  the  common 
disposition  to  divert  to  secular  purposes  the  sacred 
heritages  of  the  Church,  have  led  for  many  years  to 
continuous  attacks,  under  various  guises,  upon  the 
tenure   of   its   property.       Even   among    Churchmen, 


*  "History  of  Trinity  Church,"  p.  386. 

*  In  1786  the  vestry  offered  an  eligible  lot  of  ground  to  each  one  of 
the  Presbyterian  congregations  in  New  York,  for  the  use  of  their  senior 
ministers. 


HISTORY  OF  TRINITY  CHURCH,  NEW  YORK    337 

attempts  have  been  made  from  time  to  time  to  have 
its  funds  distributed  in  proportion  among  the  other 
city  parishes,  and  to  confer  the  right  of  voting  at  its 
vestry  elections  upon  all  members  of  the  Church, 
whether  worshippers  at  Trinity  Church  or  not. 

A  public  conscience,  aided  by  able  advocates,  has 
thus  far  protected  the  parish  from  any  serious  harm, 
while  the  faithful  and  efficient  way  in  which  its  work 
has  been  uniformly  done  surrounds  it  at  all  times 
with  numerous  friends. 

A  great  many  legacies  have  been  left  to  the  parish 
for  various  purposes.  Among  others,  there  was  one 
in  1793,  by  Mr.  John  Leake,  of  ^1000,  the  income 
of  which  was  to  be  spent  in  a  weekly  distribution  of 
bread  to  the  poor.  This  dole  is  still  regularly  given 
away  at  S.  John's  Chapel.  This  same  Mr.  Leake 
left  the  bulk  of  his  property  to  a  young  man  by  the 
name  of  Robert  Watts,  who  died  soon  after  receiving 
the  bequest.  His  father,  Mr.  John  Watts,  very  hand- 
somely turned  over  the  whole  amount  left  by  Mr. 
Leake  to  the  founding  of  an  institution,  known  now 
as  the  Leake  and  Watts  Orphan  Asylum,  where  a 
large  number  of  boys  find  a  most  comfortable  home. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
SOME  MINOR  DETAILS  OF  CHURCH  LIFE 

First  mention  of  Free  Churches — The  Rev.  Robert  Piggott — The  Rev. 
Drs.  Boyd  and  Muhlenbcrg^l.egislalive  discussion  of  the  subject 
— The  present  proportion  of  such  churches — Parish  Clerks — Lay- 
Readers — General  Washington — The  Brotherhood  of  S.  Andrew 
— Modern  origin  of  church  chimneys— Cathedrals  in  America — 
Introduction  of  painted  glass — The  first  pastoral  staff — The  black 
gown — The  Girls'  Friendly  Society  —  Church  Congress — Church 
Clubs — The  Daughters  of  the  King — The  Provincial  System — 
The  Rev.  Dr.  Hopkins. 

The  movement  for  Free  Churches  originated  in  the 
desire  to  make  some  better  provision  for  bringing  the 
poor  into  closer  contact  with  the  Church.  At  first, 
these  churches  were  designed  almost  exclusively  for 
this  class  of  worshippers.  Hitherto,  the  only  provision 
for  them  had  been  in  certain  seats  or  pews  rather 
offensively — at  least,  not  attractively — labelled.  It  is 
not  known  to  which  parish  can  be  given  the  honour 
of  declaring,  in  a  formal  way,  all  its  seats  equally  free 
and  unappropriated.  Probably,  it  belongs  to  S.  Mark's 
Church,  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  of  which  the  Rev, 
Robert  Piggott  was  rector.  This  parish  was  organised 
in  July  1S23,  since  which  time  it  has  always  been 
supported  by  voluntary  contributions.  Mr.  Piggott 
early  in  1833  became  rector  of  what  was  first  known  as 

All  Souls'  Church,  but  was  afterwards  styled  Ascension 

338 


SOME  MINOR  DETAILS  OF  CHURCH  LIFE    339 

Church,  Philadelphia.  At  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone in  1834,  Bishop  Doane  preached  a  sermon  in 
which  he  strongly  advocated  the  Free  Church  System, 
which  the  new  congregation  had  espoused.  S.  Mary's 
Church,  Manhattanville,  New  York  (the  Rev.  William 
Richmond,'  rector),  was  originally  intended  to  be  con- 
ducted under  the  same  system,  and  has  been  so  con- 
ducted ever  since  1832.  One  of  its  earliest  and  most 
devoted  advocates  was  the  Rev.  George  Boyd,  D.D., 
of  Philadelphia,  who  in  1839  finally  persuaded  his 
parish  (S.  John's,  Northern  Liberties)  to  adopt  it, 
although  in  doing  so  nearly  all  the  wealthier  people 
left  him,  and  he  was  obliged  to  subsist  for  a  while  on 
a  bare  pittance.  For  many  years,  in  his  reports  to  the 
Diocesan  Convention,  he  preached  a  sort  of  sermon  on 
the  subject. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Muhlenberg  ^  was  also  a  staunch 
friend  of  the  movement,  and  did  much  to  recommend 
it  to  the  richer  members  of  the  Church.  An  epigram- 
matic rhyme  of  his  on  the  subject  may  be  quoted 
here : — 

"  If  the  Saviour  drove  out  of  the  temple  of  old 
Poor  ignorant  Jews,  who  bought  there  and  sold, 
What  would  He  to  Christians,  so  given  to  pelf 
As  traffic  to  make  of  the  temple  itself? 
Woe,  woe  to  the  Church,  ruled  by  Mammon-made  lords, 
When  He  cometh  again  with  the  scourge  of  His  cords." 

^  Mr.  Richmond  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Peters, 
D.D.,  who,  as  rector  of  S.  Mary's,  and  of  S.  Michael's,  Bloomingdale, 
and  as  the  leading  spirit  in  many  charitable  institutions,  led  a  singularly 
busy  and  useful  life.  He  died  in  1893,  ^^^  was  buried  with  honours 
rarely  shown  to  any  one. 

'  See  pp.  330-333, 


346      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA' 

A  curious  fact  in  this  connection — curious  for  the 
United  States  at  that  period— is  that  in  1844  the 
Legislature  of  Rhode  Island  discussed  the  question  as 
to  whether  or  not  a  new  parish  should  be  incorporated 
whose  proposed  charter  contained  a  provision  for 
having  rented  pews.  The  act  of  incorporation  was 
finally  passed,  but  not  until  there  had  been  a  long 
debate  on  the  relative  advantages  of  free  and  rented 
sittings.  In  New  England  especially,  there  existed, 
for  a  long  while — more  in  meeting-houses  than  in 
churches — a  custom  that  was  styled  "  dignifying  the 
house,"  by  which  from  time  to  time  seats  were  as- 
signed to  families  or  individuals  in  accordance  with 
their  "  age,  state,  and  parentage." 

The  free  system  has  gone  on  fighting  and  winning 
its  way,  until  it  has  become  so  predominant  that  in 
some  dioceses  it  is  the  only  one  that  exists,  and  in 
many  others  it  includes  by  far  the  greater  number 
of  parishes.  Taking  the  country  at  large,  the  free 
churches  constitute  now  not  less  than  seventy-five  per 
cent,  of  the  whole  number  of  parishes. 

Mention  may  be  made  of  an  institution  which  has 
been  unknown  during  the  last  thirty  or  forty  years, 
and  seems  to  have  disappeared  permanently,  that  of 
Parish  Clerks.  They  were  at  one  time  quite  common, 
especially  in  the  city  churches.  Their  chief  province 
was  to  lead  in — not  infrequently  they  almost  alone 
said — the  responses,  and  to  give  out  various  notices 
— of  services  during  the  week,  funerals,  and  the  like. 
On  more  than  one  occasion  in  Boston,  advertisement 
was  thus  made  of  lost  swine,  with  a  suitable  reward 


SOME  MINOR  DETAILS  OF  CHURCH  LIFE     3^1 

for  their  recovery.  In  the  absence  of  clergymen,  they 
were  often  called  upon  to  read  the  service  and  a  homily. 
These  functionaries  oftentimes  had  a  lofty  idea  of  their 
importance,  and  were  very  jealous  of  any  interfer- 
ence with  their  inherited  prerogatives.  The  gradual 
abolition  of  their  office  was  thus  accompanied  with 
considerable  anxiety  and  difficulty.  Before  their  dis- 
appearance, the  tariff  of  fees  for  the  various  ministra- 
tions of  rector,  clerk,  and  sexton  had  been  abandoned. 
In  the  absence  of  a  sufficient  number  of  clergymen, 
Lay-Readers  were  early  employed  in  the  American 
Church.  We  have  an  account  of  such  services  by 
Christopher  Gist,  on  an  exploring  expedition  in  West- 
ern Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1750.  Five  years  later, 
George  Washington,  then  a  colonel,  officiated  in  the 
same  capacity  at  Fort  Necessity.  It  was  he  who  read 
the  burial-service  over  the  remains  of  General  Brad- 
dock.  The  story  of  Samuel  Gunn's  fruitful  labours, 
in  the  early  part  of  the  next  century,  in  Connecticut, 
New  York,  and  Ohio,  has  already  been  told.^  Many 
notable  instances  could  be  cited  of  accessions  to  the 
Church  through  this  agency,  of  persons  who  have 
proved  in  every  way  most  valuable  members.^  Under 
the  inspiration  of  the  Brotherhood  of  S.  Andrew  (an 
organisation  which,  beginning  as  a  national  society  in 
1886,  has  now  one  thousand  chapters  and  a  member- 
ship of  eleven  thousand),  a  larger  number  than  ever 


'  See  p.  217.  A  fuller  account  of  Mr.  Gunn  may  be  found  in  Cas- 
wall's  "America  and  the  American  Church." 

-  See  "  Lay-Readers,  their  History,  Organisation,  and  Work,"  by 
the  Rev.  H.  B.  Restarick.     See  also  pp.  7,  23,  24,  26. 


342      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

before  of  devout  laymen  are  lending  their  help  in  all 
departments  of  the  Church's  work. 

Partly,  no  doubt,  from  the  customs  of  their  European 
homes,  the  builders  of  the  early  churches  in  America 
made  no  provision  for  heating  them.  In  hardly  any 
one  of  them  was  there  a  chimney  or  any  kind  of 
fire-place.  In  some  localities  there  were  what  were 
called  "Sabbath-day  houses,"  very  plain  structures, 
which  were  close  to  the  churches,  and  were  divided 
into  separate  compartments  for  men  and  women,  where 
they  could  go  for  heat,  and,  during  the  intervals 
between  the  services,  for  refreshments.  But  as  a 
general  rule,  the  women  only  had  provision  made 
for  their  comfort  in  respect  of  warmth,  and  that 
usually  by  means  of  little  foot-stoves  with  hot  coals 
of  wood.  In  some  parishes  the  proposition  to  erect 
chimneys,  when  first  made,  led  to  such  lively  discus- 
sions as  threatened  to  dismember  the  congregations ; 
the  older  people  looking  upon  it  as  an  evidence  of 
intolerable  degeneracy.  It  was  as  late  as  1825  that 
stoves  were  introduced  into  some  churches. 

The  subject  of  Cathedrals  has  been  more  or  less 
before  the  American  Church  for  forty  years.  Bishop 
Whitehouse^  (of  Illinois)  was  perhaps  the  first  dio- 
cesan to  give  public  expression  to  what  before  had 
been  but  little  better  than  vague  ideas  concerning  it. 
He  also  attempted  in  his  see  city  to  put  into  operation 
his  well-considered  plans.  He  encountered  consider- 
able opposition  to  the  cathedral  project,  as  other 
bishops  did  subsequently.  The  Cathedral  of  SS.  Peter 
^  See  p.  260. 


SOME  MINOR  DETAILS  OF  CHURCH  LIFE    343 

and  Paul,  Chicago,  may  be  considered  the  pioneer  in 
this  direction.  It  was  established,  practically  in  the 
year  1861,  although  the  cathedral  organisation  was 
not  effected  until  several  years  later. 

After  Chicago,  came  Milwaukee,  Faribault, and  Omaha, 
followed  by  Portland,  Albany,  and  others.  In  a  number 
of  instances,  the  organisations  were  merely  tentative ; 
in  some,  scarcely  more  than  nominal — the  buildings 
styled  cathedrals  being  little  else  than  parish  churches. 

In  all,  there  are  at  this  time  thirty-six  dioceses 
having  cathedral  organisations,  more  or  less  complete. 
At  Albany  there  is  a  building  not  as  yet  finished, 
but  which  promises,  under  Bishop  Doane's  guidance, 
to  fulfil  the  true  idea  of  such  a  structure.  At  New 
York,  foundations  have  been  laid  for  a  still  more 
imposing  edifice.  The  plans  both  for  the  cathedral 
itself,  and  for  the  work  in  connection  with  it  as 
formulated  by  the  sagacious  bishop  of  the  diocese 
(the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  C.  Potter),  are  large 
and  comprehensive. 

It  was  in  1827  that  painted  glass  was  first  intro- 
duced in  an  American  church,  S.  Paul's,  Troy,  New 
York.  It  was  for  some  time  looked  upon  as  a 
dangerous  innovation. 

The  first  pastoral  staff  given  to  any  bishop  by 
his  clergy,  was  presented  in  1866  to  the  Right  Rev. 
Dr.  Hopkins,  Bishop  of  Vermont,  on  the  occasion  of 
his  golden  wedding.  Mr.  Beresford  Hope  had  earlier 
made  a  personal  gift  of  one  to  the  Right  Rev.  Dr. 
Doane,  Bishop  of  New  Jersey.  In  later  years  their 
use  has  become  quite  common. 


344      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  m  AMERICA 

The  wearing  of  the  black  gown  in  preaching  became 
an  almost  universal  custom  in  parishes  of  all  grades 
of  Churchmanship.  In  some  parishes  it  was  worn 
even  in  the  reading  of  the  service  on  Good  Friday, 
that  the  one  surplice  belonging  to  them  might,  in  the 
meanwhile,  be  made  and  kept  clean  for  Easter  Day. 
Not  infrequently,  the  black  gown  was  the  only  vest- 
ment provided.  At  the  present  time  there  are  but 
few  dioceses  where  the  black  gown  is  at  all  in  use. 
Linen  bands  and  black  silk  gloves  had  disappeared 
long  before  the  gown. 

The  Girls'  Friendly  Society  has  taken  root  firmly 
in  America,  and  promises  to  keep  pace  proportionately 
with  the  growth  of  the  parent  organisation  in  England. 
There  are  now  about  two  hundred  and  twenty  branches, 
distributed  among  twenty  dioceses. 

The  Church  Congress,  which  has  apparently  become 
one  of  the  institutions  of  the  Church,  although  in 
no  way  formally  recognised  by  her,  was  organised 
in  the  year  1874,  the  first  meeting  being  held  in 
New  York.  In  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dyer's  interesting 
"  Records  of  an  Active  Life,"  an  account  is  given  of 
its  origin. 

Parish  Houses,  or  Parish  Buildings,  are  being  rapidly 
multiplied  throughout  the  land ;  to  such  an  extent, 
indeed,  that  without  them  parishes  are  hardly  thought 
to  be  thoroughly  equipped  for  their  various  industries. 
They  furnish  accommodations,  the  lack  of  which 
would  prevent  the  Church  from  doing  all  that  she 
now  feels  called  upon  to  undertake  for  the  entire 
man,  religiously,  physically,  mentally,  and  socially. 


SOME  MINOR  DETAILS  OF  CHURCH  LIFE    345 

Among  other  agencies  that  have  of  recent  years  come 
into  existence,  a  prominent  place  may  be  assigned  to 
what  are  known  as  Church  Clubs.  These  consist 
generally  of  laymen  only,  and  are  intended  to  develop 
and  inform  their  zeal  and  activity — partly,  but  not 
exclusively,  by  means  of  social  intercourse.  The  Club 
organised  in  Boston  dates  from  January,  1888.  Those 
of  New  York  and  Delaware  were  formed  in  the  same 
year.     There  are  now  about  twenty  in  all. 

The  organisation  of  the  Daughters  of  the  King 
(1885)  is  designed  to  accomplish  among  the  young 
women  the  same  work  that  is  undertaken  among  young 
men  by  the  Brotherhood  of  S.  Andrew. 

It  has  been  felt  for  a  number  of  years  that  the 
growth  of  the  Church  demanded  the  adoption  of 
what  is  known  as  the  Provincial  System,  and  some 
steps  have  been  taken  in  that  direction.  The  three 
dioceses  in  the  State  of  Illinois  have  been  constituted 
by  their  own  action  into  a  province,  and  the  five  dio- 
ceses in  the  State  of  New  York  have  organised  a 
federate  council,  with  similar  purposes  in  view.  The 
most  prominent  and  persistent  advocate  of  the  system 
was  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  H.  Hopkins,  junr.  (1820-1 891), 
who  was  also  the  chief  advocate  of  the  division  of 
dioceses.  In  other  lines  of  Church  life  he  left  his 
distinct  impression,  being  a  man  of  unusual  talents 
and  industry. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


RECENT  GROWTH  AND  PROSPECTS 

Comparison  of  statistics — The  Church  gaining  largely  upon  the 
population — Future  prospects. 

In  bringing  to  a  close  this  History  of  the  American 
Church,  it  may  be  well  to  contrast  some  of  its  statistics 
as  reported  in  1832 — the  first  year  any  such  sum- 
maries are  appended  to  the  General  .Convention  Jour- 
nals— and  in  1892. 

1832. 

Clergy  reported  in  18  dioceses        ....  592 

Bapthms  for  i/ire£  years 23,127 

Communicants  in  16  dioceses          ....  30,939 

Sunday-school  teachers  in  10  dioceses   .         .         .  i,743 

Sunday-school  pupils  in  14  dioceses        .         .         .  24,218 


1892. 

Clergy  in  64  dioceses  and  American  missionary 

jurisdictions 4  1 50 

Baptisms  /or    three  years    in    63    dioceses    and 

American  missionary  jurisdictions  .         .         .   180,527 

Communicants  in  62  dioceses  and  American  mis- 
sionary jurisdictions  561,702 

Sunday-school  teachers  in  62  dioceses  and  Ameri- 
can missionary  jurisdictions     ....     42,828 

Sunday-school  pupils  in  63  dioceses  and  American 

missionary  jurisdictions 394,464 

Total  offerings  in  three  years  for  religious  pur- 
poses          $4,051,360,720 

346 


RECENT  GROWTH  AND  PROSPECTS  347 

During  the  forty-eight  years  preceding  1832,  twenty- 
nine  bishops  were  consecrated,  of  whom  sixteen  were 
then  living. 

During  the  sixty-two  years  preceding  1 894,  one 
hundred  and  forty-five  bishops  were  consecrated,  of 
whom  eighty-three  were  then  living. 

The  remarkable  growth  of  the  Church  will  be  the 
more  readily  seen  when  the  increase  in  the  number 
of  her  communicants  is  compared  with  the  increase 
of  the  population  of  the  United  States. 

In  1844  the  number  of  communicants  was  about 
60,000.  The  population  of  the  United  States  was 
about  18,000,000. 

In  1894  the  number  of  communicants  was  about 
600,000.^  The  population  of  the  United  States  was 
about  65,000,000. 

In  1844  the  ratio  of  the  communicants  to  the  whole 
population  was  as  l  is  to  300. 

In  1894  the  same  ratio  was  as  i  is  to  108. 

In  fifty  years,  the  population  of  the  United  States 
increased  260  per  cent. ;  while  the  number  of  com- 
municants increased  900  per  cent. 

Should  the  present  rate  of  gain  upon  the  population 
be  accelerated  during  the  next  few  years  as  it  has 
been  during  the  latter  half  of  the  present  century,  it 
will  not  be  very  long  ere  the  Church  whose  history 
is  the  subject  of  this  volume  will  be  everywhere  re- 
cognised as  indeed  The  AMERICAN  CHURCH. 

She  is  attracting  to  herself,  as  no  other  religious 
body    is    doing,    many   members   of    all   the   various 

^  This  is  equivalent  to  a  membership  of  about  3,000,000. 


348      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

denominations  represented  in  the  country,  and  is 
becoming  more  and  more,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
the  recognised  centre  of  American  Christianity.  Stand- 
/  ing  midway  between  those,  on  the  one  side,  who  would 
take  from,  and  those,  on  the  other  side,  who  would  add 
to  Catholic  faith  and  practice,  she  has  a  mission  to 
fulfil  which  will  tax  to  the  utmost  her  resources  and 
energies.  It  is  a  privilege  for  which  her  members 
should  be  humbly  thankful,  and  a  responsibility  which 
they  should  discharge  with  all  fidelity.  Her  past 
history,  by  the  grace  of  God,  has  been  honourable. 
Her  prospects  warrant  the  belief  that,  by  the  same 
grace,  her  future  history  will  exceed  in  glory. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE  OF  PRINCIPAL 
EVENTS 


A.D. 

1579.  First  Church  services  in  the  United  States  .         , 

1583.  First  charter  to  English  colonists 

1587.  First  service  in  North  Carolina  .... 

1587.  First  baptism 

1602-3.  First  Church  services  in  New  England    .         . 

1607.  First  church  built  and  services  held  in  Virginia  . 

1607.  First  church  built  in  New  England     .        ~.         . 

1619.  First  legislative  meeting  in  Jamestown        . 

1663.  First  Church  services  in  New  York     .         . 

1691.  Charter  obtained  for  William  and  Mary  College. 

1719.  First  Church  Convention  at  Williamsburg,  Virginia 

1722.  Consecration  of  Bishops  Welton  and  Talbot 
1735-6.  Visit  to  America  of  the  Wesleys  and  of  Whitefield 

1735.  First  mention  of  Sunday-schools  .         .         . 

1783.  Church  Convention  at  Annapolis,  Maryland 

1784.  Preliminary  meeting  of  clergy  at  New  Brunswick,  N.J 
17S4.  Consecration  of  Bishop  Seabury 
1784.  Adoption  of  Provisional  Constitution  .         .         . 


PAGE 

2 

4 

7 

7 

7 

8,9 

II 

16 

33 

56 

136 

106 

77,80 

309 

137 

141 

123 
'43 


RECENT  GROWTH  AND  PROSPECT 


ICT§. 


349 


A.n. 

1785.  First  ordination  in  America  .  .  , 
I  85.  First  General  Convention,  in  Philadelphia. 
1785-9.  The  Prayer- Book  revised  and  set  forth    . 

1786.  First  consecration  of  a  church     .         .         .         <         . 

1787.  Consecration  of  Bishops  White  and  Provoost       . 

1789.  Constitution  adopted  ...... 

1790.  Consecration  of  Bishop  Madison  .  .  .  . 
1792.  First  consecration  of  a  bishop  in  America  (Dr.  Claggett) 
1798.  Surpliced  choirs  first  mentioned  .  >  .  . 
1801.  The  Articles  of  Religion  established  .  .  .  . 
1 82 1.  The  General  Theological  Seminary  founded  .  . 
1823.  Free  churches  first  mentioned     .         ,         .         .         . 

1829.  Mission  to  Greece  established 

1835.  The  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  founded 

1835.  First  missionaries  go  to  China    . 

1835.  First  Domestic  Missionary  Bishops  elected 

1835-6,  Missionaries  go  to  Africa        .         . 

1842.  Nashotah  founded      .... 

1845.  Sisterhoods  first  established        .  . 

1 846.  Bishop  Soulhgate  goes  to  Turkey  . 
1859.  First  missionaries  go  to  Japan  ,  . 
1859-92.  Revision  of  the  Hymnal  ,  . 
1 861-5.  Civil  War  and  Reunion 

1873.  First  bishop  for  the  Indians  consecrated 

1874.  Deposition  of  Bishop  Cummins  . 
1874.  First  Church  Congress  held 
1874.  First  bishop  for  Haiti  consecrated 
1879.  Bishop  for  Mexico  consecrated    . 
1880-92.  Revision  of  the  Prayer- Book 
1886.  Declaration  of  House  of  Bishops  on  Christian  unity 


PAGE 

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356      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 


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RECENT  GROWTH  AND  PROSPECTS 


357 


PRESIDING  BISHOPS  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
CHURCH 


No. 

Name. 

See. 

Term  of 

Sekvick. 

I 
2 

3 
4 
5 
6 

7 
8 

9 

lO 

II 

William  White    .... 
Samuel  Seabury  .... 
Samuel  Provoost.     .     .     . 
William  White  * .     .     .     . 
Alexander  Viets  Griswold 
Philander  Chase .... 
Thomas  Church  Brownell 
John  Henry  Hopkins   .     . 
Benjamin  Bosworth  Smith 

Alfred  Lee 

John  Williams     .... 

Pennsylvania  .     .     . 
Connecticut     .     .     . 
New  York  .... 
Pennsylvania   .     .     . 
The  Eastern  Diocese 

Ohio 

Connecticut     .     .     . 
Vermont      .... 
Kentucky    .... 
Delaware     .... 
Connecticut     .     .     . 

1789 
1789-1792 
1792-1795 
1 795-1836 
1 836- 1 843 
I 843-1 852 
1852-1S65 
I 865- I 868 
1868-18S4 
1 884-1887 
1S87- 

GENERAL  CONVENTIONS 


Place  of  Meeting.  Date. 

Philadelphia 1785 

Philadelphia 1786 

Wilmington,Delaware  (Ad- 
journed Convention) .     .  1786 

Philadelphia 1789 

Philadelphia      (Adjourned 

Convention)      ....  1789 

New  York 1792 

Philadelphia 1795 

Philadelphia  (Special)  .     .  1799 

'I'renton,  New  Jersey    .     .  1801 

New  York 1804 

Baltimore 1808 

New  Haven,  Connecticut  .  181 1 

Philadelphia 1814 

New  York 1817 

Philadelphia 1820 

Philadelphia  (Special)  .     .  1821 

Philadelphia 1823 

Philadelphia 1826 

Philadelphia 1829 


Place  of  Meeting. 


Date. 


New  York 1832 

Philadelphia 1835 

Philadelphia 1838 

New  York 1841 

Philadelphia 1844 

New  York 1847 

Cincinnati 1850 

New  York 1853 

Philadelphia 1856 

Richmond,  Virginia.     .     .  1859 

New  York 1862 

Philadelphia 1 865 

New  York 1868 

Baltimore 1871 

New  York 1874 

Boston 1877 

New  York 18S0 

Philadelphia 1883 

Chicago 1886 

New  York 1889 

Baltimore l" 


luaaeipnia loay       oaiLiinoic loy.: 

Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  is  appointed  as  the  place  of  meeting  of  the 
General  Convention  of  1895. 


Seep.  185. 


APPENDIX 

A. 

LETTERS  OF  THE  REV.  DR.  FOGG  (see  ^ao;e  ii8) 
I. 

TOMFRET, /ll/y  14,   1783. 

Dear  Sir, — I  wrote  you  a  few  lines  the  2nd  inst.  by 
an  uncertain  conveyance,  in  which  I  mentioned  that  the 
Connecticut  clergy  had  done  all  in  their  power  respecting 
the  matter  you  were  anxious  about ;  but  they  keep  it  a 
profound  secret,  even  from  their  most  intimate  friends  of 
the  laity. 

The  matter  is  this  :  After  consulting  the  clergy  in  New 
York  how  to  keep  up  the  succession,  they  unanimously 
agreed  to  send  a  person  to  England  to  be  consecrated 
Bishop  for  America,  and  pitched  upon  Dr.  Seabury  as  the 
most  proper  person  for  this  purpose,  who  sailed  for  England 
the  beginning  of  last  month,  highly  recommended  by  all 
the  clergy  in  New  York  and  Connecticut,  &a  If  he  suc- 
ceeds, he  is  to  come  out  as  missionary  for  New  London 
or  some  other  vacant  mission ;  and  if  they  will  not  receive 
him  in  Connecticut  or  any  other  of  the  States  of  Avierica, 
he  is  to  go  to  Nova  Scotia.  Sir  Guy  highly  approves  of 
the  plan,  and  has  used  all  his  influence  in  favour  of  it. 

The  clergy  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  instruct  Dr. 
Seabury,  if  none  of  the  regular  Bishops  of  the  Church  of 


363      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

England  will  ordain  him,  to  go  down  to  Scotland  and 
receive  ordination  from  a  non-juring  bishop.  Pldase  to  let 
me  know  by  Mr.  Grosvenor  how  you  approve  of  the  plan, 
and  whether  you  have  received  any  late  accounts  from 
England. — From  your  affectionate  brother, 

D,  Fogg. 


IT. 

Dear  Sir, — I  am  very  glad  that  the  conduct  of  the 
Connecticut  clergy  meets  with  your  approbation  in  the 
main.  Dr.  Seabury's  being  a  refugee  was  an  objection 
which  I  made ;  but  was  answered,  that  they  could  not  fix 
upon  any  other  person  who  they  thought  was  so  likely  to 
succeed  as  he  was;  and  should  he  succeed,  and  not  be 
permitted  to  reside  in  any  of  the  United  States,  it  would 
be  an  easy  matter  for  any  other  gentleman  who  was  not 
obnoxious  to  the  powers  that  be,  to  be  consecrated  by  him 
at  Halifax.  And  as  to  the  objection  of  not  consulting  the 
clergy  of  other  States,  the  time  would  not  allow  of  it,  and 
there  was  nobody  to  consult  in  the  State  of  New  York,  for 
there  is  not  one  clergyman  there  except  refugees,  and  they 
were  consulted.  And  in  the  State  of  Connecticut  there 
are  fourteen  clergymen.  And  in  your  State  and  New 
Hampshire,  you  know  how  many  there  are,  and  you  know 
there  is  no  compulsion  in  the  matter,  and  you  will  be  left 
to  act  as  you  please,  either  to  be  subject  to  him  or  not. 
As  to  the  matter  of  his  support,  that  must  be  an  after 
consideration. — Your  affectionate  friend  and  brother, 

D.  Fogg. 

POMFRET,  August  I,  1783. 


APPENDIX  361 

B. 

LETTERS  OF  DR.  SEABURY  TO  THE  CONNECTICUT 
CLERGY  {see page  120) 

I. 

London,  July  15,  1783. 

Gentlemen, — In  prosecution  of  the  business  committed 
to  me  by  you,  I  arrived  in  this  city  on  the  7th  inst. 
Unfortunately  the  Archbishop  of  York  had  left  this  city 
a  fortnight  before,  so  that  I  was  deprived  of  his  advice 
and  patronage.  I  waited  on  the  Bishop  of  London,  and 
met  with  a  cordial  reception  from  him.  He  heartily  ap- 
proved of  the  scheme,  and  wished  success  to  it,  and  de- 
clared his  readiness  to  concur  with  the  two  Archbishops 
in  carrying  it  into  execution;  but  I  soon  found  he  was 
not  disposed  to  take  the  lead  in  the  matter.  He  mentioned 
the  State  Oaths  in  the  Ordination  Offices,  as  impediments, 
but  supposed  that  the  King's  dispensation  would  be  a 
sufficient  warrant  for  the  Archbishops  to  proceed  upon. 
But  upon  conversing  with  his  Grace  of  Canterbury,  I  found 
his  opinion  rather  different  from  the  Bishop  of  London. 
He  received  me  politely,  approved  of  the  measure,  saw 
the  necessity  of  it,  and  would  do  all  he  could  to  carry 
it  into  execution.  But  he  must  proceed  openly  and  with 
candour.  His  Majesty's  dispensation,  he  feared,  would  not 
be  sufficient  to  justify  the  omission  of  Oaths  imposed  by 
Act  of  Parliament.  He  would  consult  the  other  Bishops ; 
he  would  advise  with  those  persons  on  whose  judgment 
he  thought  he  could  depend.  He  was  glad  to  hear  the 
opinion  of  the  Bishop  of  London,  and  wished  to  know 
the  sentiments  of  the  Archbishop  of  York.  He  foresaw 
great  difficulties,  but  hoped  there  were  none  of  them  in- 
surmountable.    I  purpose  to  set  out  for  York  in  a  few 


362       HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

days  to  consult  the  Archbishop,  and  will  do  everything 
in  my  power  to  carry  this  matter  into  a  happy  issue ;  but 
it  will  require  a  great  deal  of  time,  and  patience,  and 
attention.  I  endeavoured  to  remove  those  difficulties  that 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  mentioned ;  and  I  am  not 
without  hopes  that  they  will  all  be  got  over.  My  greatest 
fear  arises  from  the  matter  becoming  public,  as  it  now 
must,  and  that  the  Dissenters  here  will  prevail  upon  your 
Government  to  apply  against  it :  this  I  think  w'ould  effec- 
tually crush  it,  at  least  as  far  as  it  relates  to  Connecticut. 
You  will  therefore  do  well  to  attend  to  this  circumstance 
yourselves,  and  get  such  of  your  friends  as  you  can  trust, 
to  find  out,  should  any  such  intelligence  come  from  hence. 
In  that  case,  I  think  it  would  be  best  to  avow  your  design, 
and  try  what  strength  you  can  muster  in  the  Assembly 
to  support  it.  But  in  this  matter  your  own  judgment  will 
be  a  much  better  guide  to  you  than  any  opinion  of  mine. 

I  will  again  write  to  you  on  my  return  from  York,  and 
shall  then  be  able  to  tell  you  more  precisely  what  is  like 
to  be  the  success  of  this  business. 

I  am,  reverend  gentlemen,  with  the  greatest  respect  and 
esteem,  your  most  obliged  humble  servant, 

Samuel  Seaburv. 


11. 

London,  August  lo,  17S3. 
Reverend  Gentlemen, — In  the  letter  which  I  wrote 
to  you  after  my  interview  with  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, I  informed  you  of  the  objections  made,  and  difficul- 
ties mentioned  by  him,  with  regard  to  the  business  on 
which  I  came  to  England.  I  also  informed  you  of  my 
intention  to  take  a  journey  to  York  that  I  might  have  the 
full  benefit  of  his  Grace  of  York's  advice  and  influence. 
I'his  journey  I  have  accomplished,  and  I  fear  to  very  little' 


APPENDIX  363 

purpose.  His  Grace  is  now  carrying  on  a  correspondence 
with  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  on  the  subject ;  what 
the  issue  will  be  is  not  certain ;  but  I  think,  unless  matters 
can  be  put  on  a  different  footing,  the  business  will  not 
succeed.  Both  the  Archbishops  are  convinced  of  the 
necessity  of  supplying  the  States  of  America  with  bishops, 
if  it  be  intended  to  preserve  the  Episcopal  Church  there ; 
and  they  even  seem  sensible  of  the  justice  of  the  present 
application ;  but  they  are  exceedingly  embarrassed  by  the 
following  difficulties : — 

1.  That  it  would  be  sending  a  bishop  to  Connecticut,  which 
they  have  no  right  to  do  without  the  consent  of  the  State. 

2.  That  the  bishop  would  not  be  received  in  Connecticut. 

3.  That  there  would  be  no  adequate  support  for  him. 

4.  That  the  Oaths  in  the  Ordination  Office  cannot  be 
got  over,  because  the  King's  dispensation  would  not  be 
sufficient  to  justify  the  omission  of  those  Oaths.  At  least 
there  must  be  the  concurrence  of  the  King's  Council  to  the 
omission ;  and  that  the  Council  would  not  give  their  con- 
currence without  the  permission  of  the  State  of  Connecticut 
to  the  bishop's  residing  among  them. 

All  that  I  could  say  had  no  effect,  and  I  had  a  fair 
opportunity  of  saying  all  that  I  wished  to  say. 

It  now  remains  to  be  considered  what  method  shall  be 
taken  to  obtain  the  wished-for  Episcopate. 

The  matter  here  will  become  public.  It  will  soon  get 
to  Connecticut.  Had  you  not,  gentlemen,  better  make  an 
immediate  application  to  the  State  for  permission  to  have 
a  bishop  reside  there  ?  Should  you  not  succeed,  you  lose 
nothing,  as  I  am  pretty  confident  you  will  not  succeed 
here  without  such  consent.  Should  there  be  anything  per- 
sonal with  regard  to  me,  let  it  not  retard  the  matter.  I  will 
most  readily  give  up  my  pretensions  to  any  person  who  shall 
be  agreeable  to  you,  and  less  exceptionable  to  the  State. 

You  can  make  the  attempt  with  all  the  strength  you  can 


364      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

muster  among  the  laity ;  and  at  the  same  time  I  would  ad- 
vise that  some  persons  be  sent  to  try  the  State  of  Vermont 
upon  this  subject.  In  the  meantime  I  will  try  to  prepare 
and  get  things  in  a  proper  train  here.  I  think  I  shall  be 
able  to  get  at  the  Duke  of  Portland  and  Lord  North,  on 
the  occasion.  And  should  you  succeed  in  either  instance, 
I  think  all  difificulty  would  be  at  an  end. 

I  am,  worthy  gentlemen,  with  the  greatest  respect  and 
esteem,  your  much  obliged  and  very  humble  brother  and 
servant,  Samuel  Se.\burv. 


-     III. 

To  the  Rev.  Dr.  Learning. 

91  Wardour  Street,  London, 
September  3,  1783. 

My  dear  Sir, — Though  I  have  so  lately  written  to  you, 
as  well  as  to  the  clergy  of  Connecticut,  explaining  the  situa- 
tion of  the  business  on  which  I  came  to  England;  yet  I 
must  more  fully  open  my  mind  to  you ;  and  you  are  to  be 
the  judge,  whether  any  and  how  much  of  this  letter  is  to 
be  showed  to  any  one  else. 

With  regard  to  my  success,  I  not  only  think  it  doubtful, 
but  that  the  probability  is  against  it.  Nobody  here  will 
risk  anything  for  the  sake  of  the  Church,  or  for  the  sake 
of  continuing  Episcopal  Ordination  in  America.  Unless, 
therefore,  it  can  be  made  a  ministerial  affair,  none  of  the 
Bishops  will  proceed  in  it  for  fear  of  clamour ;  and  indeed 
the  ground  on  which  they  at  present  stand,  seems  to  me  so 
uncertain  that  I  believe  they  are  obliged  to  take  great  care 
with  regard  to  any  step  they  take  out  of  the  common  road. 
They  are  apprehensive  that  my  consecration  would  be  looked 
upon  in  the  light  of  sending  a  bishop  to  Connecticut,  and 


APPENDIX  365 

that  the  State  of  Connecticut  would  resist  it,  and  that 
they  should  be  censured  as  meddlers  in  matters  that  do 
not  concern  them.  This  is  the  great  reason  why  I  wish 
that  the  State  of  Connecticut  should  be  applied  to  for 
their  consent.  Without  it,  I  think  nothing  will  be  done. 
If  they  refuse,  the  whole  matter  is  at  an  end.  If  they 
consent  that  a  bishop  should  reside  among  them,  the 
grand  obstacle  will  be  removed.  You  see  the  necessity  of 
making  the  attempt,  and  of  making  it  with  vigour.  One 
reason,  indeed,  why  I  wished  the  attempt  to  be  made  in 
Connecticut,  relates  to  myself.  I  cannot  continue  here 
long;  necessity  will  oblige  me  to  leave  it  in  March  or 
April,  at  furthest.  If  this  business  fails,  I  must  try  to  get 
some  provision  made  for  myself.  And  indeed  the  State  of 
Connecticut  may  consent  that  a  bishop  should  reside 
among  them,  though  they  might  not  consent  that  I  should 
be  the  man.  In  that  case,  the  sooner  I  shall  know  it  the 
better ;  and  should  that  be  the  case,  I  beg  that  no  clergy- 
man in  Connecticut  will  hesitate  a  moment  on  my  account. 
The  point  is,  to  get  the  Episcopal  authority  into  that 
country  ;  and  he  shall  have  every  assistance  in  my  power. 

Something  should  also  be  said  about  the  means  of  support 
for  a  bishop  in  that  country.  The  Bishops  here  are  apprehen- 
sive that  the  character  will  sink  into  contempt,  unless  there 
be  some  competent  and  permanent  fund  for  its  support. 
Please  let  your  opinion  of  what  ought  to  be  said  on  that 
subject  be  communicated  by  the  first  opportunity,  that  is, 
provided  you  think  anything  can  be  done  in  Connecticut. 

Dr.  Chandler's  appointment  to  Nova  Scotia  will,  I  be- 
lieve, succeed ;  and  possibly  he  may  go  thither  this 
autumn,  or,  at  least,  early  in  the  spring.  But  his  success 
will  do  no  good  in  the  States  of  America.  His  hands  will 
be  as  much  tied  as  the  Bishops  in  England ;  and  I  think 
he  will  run  no  risks  to  communicate  the  Episcopal  powers. 
There  is,  therefore,  everything  depending  on  the  success  of 


366      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

the  application  to  the  State  of  Connecticut.  It  must  be 
made  quickly,  lest  the  Dissenters  here  should  interpose  and 
prevent  it ;  and  it  should  be  made  with  the  united  efforts  of 
clergy  and  laity,  that  its  weight  may  be  the  greater ;  and  its 
issue  you  must  make  me  acquainted  with  as  soon  as  you 
can.  Please  to  send  me  one  or  two  more  testimonials 
from  the  copy  which  Dr.  Inglis  has.  Mr.  Moore  and  Mr. 
Odell  will  assist  in  copying  and  getting  them  signed ;  and 
I  may  want  them. 

By  Captain  Cowper  I  expect  to  be  able  to  acquaint  you 
with  the  result  of  the  interview  of  the  two  Archbishops  in 
my  business.  In  the  meantime,  may  God  direct  and 
prosper  all  the  endeavours  of  His  faithful  servant,  to  the 
establishment  of  His  true  religion  in  the  western  world ! 
May  I  see  thee  again  in  peace !  May  I  again  enjoy  the 
pleasure  of  thy  converse,  and  with  thee'  be  instrumental  in 
promoting  the  welfare  of  Christ's  kingdom. 

Adieu  !  says  thy  ever  affectionate,  S.  Seabury. 

Let  application  be  made  also  to  the  State  of  Vermont, 
lest  that  to  Connecticut  should  fail. 


APPENDIX  367 

c. 

THE  SEABURY  CONCORDATE  {see  page  124) 

In  the  name  of  the  Holy  and  Undivided  Trinity,  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost,  one  God,  Blessed  for  ever.     Amen. 

The  wise  and  gracious  providence  of  this  merciful  God 
having  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  the  Christians  of  the  Epis- 
copal persuasion  in  Connecticut,  in  North  America,  to 
desire  that  the  blessings  of  a  free,  valid,  and  purely  eccle- 
siastical Episcopacy  might  be  communicated  to  them,  and 
a  Church  regularly  formed  in  that  part  of  the  western  world 
upon  the  most  ancient  and  primitive  model ;  and  appli- 
cation having  been  made  for  this  purpose,  by  the  Reverend 
Dr.  Samuel  Seabury,  Presbyter  in  Connecticut,  to  the  Right 
Reverend  the  Bishops  of  the  Church  in  Scotland;  the 
said  Bishops,  having  taken  this  proposal  into  their  serious 
consideration,  most  heartily  concurred  to  promote  and  en- 
courage the  same,  as  far  as  lay  in  their  power ;  and  ac- 
cordingly began  the  pious  and  good  work  recommended 
to  them,  by  complying  with  the  request  of  the  clergy  in 
Connecticut,  and  advancing  the  said  Dr.  Samuel  Seabury 
to  the  high  order  of  the  Episcopate ;  at  the  same  time 
earnestly  praying  that  this  work  of  the  Lord,  thus  happily 
begun,  might  prosper  in  his  hands,  till  it  should  please 
the  great  and  glorious  Head  of  the  Church  to  increase 
the  number  of  Bishops  in  America,  and  send  forth  more 
such  labourers  into  that  part  of  His  harvest.  Animated 
with  this  pious  hope,  and  earnestly  desirous  to  establish  a 
bond  of  peace,  and  holy  Communion,  between  the  two 
Churches,  the  Bishops  of  the  Church  in  Scotland,  whose 
names  are  underwritten,  having  had  full  and  free  con- 
ference with  Bishop  Seabury,  after  his  consecration   and 


368      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

advancement  as  aforesaid,  agreed  with  him  on  the  follow- 
ing Articles,  which  are  to  serve  as  a  Concordate,  or  bond 
of  union,  between  the  Catholic  remainder  of  the  ancient 
Church  of  Scotland,  and  the  now  rising  Church  in  the 
State  of  Connecticut. 

Article  I.  They  agree  in  thankfully  receiving  and 
humbly  and  heartily  embracing  the  whole  doctrine  of  the 
Gospel,  as  revealed  and  set  forth  in  the  holy  Scriptures  ; 
and  it  is  their  earnest  and  united  desire  to  maintain  the 
analogy  of  the  common  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints, 
and  happily  preserved  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  through 
His  divine  power  and  protection,  who  promised  that  the 
gates  of  hell  should  never  prevail  against  it. 

Article  II.  They  agree  in  believing  this  Church  to  be 
the  mystical  Body  of  Christ,  of  which  He  alone  is  the 
Head  and  supreme  Governor,  and  that  under  Him  the 
chief  ministers  or  managers  of  the  affairs  of  this  spiritual 
society  are  those  called  Bishops,  whose  exercise  of  their 
sacred  ofifice  being  independent  of  all  lay  powers,  it  follows, 
of  consequence,  that  their  spiritual  authority  and  jurisdiction 
cannot  be  affected  by  any  lay-deprivation. 

Article  III.  They  agree  in  declaring  that  the  Episcopal 
Church  in  Connecticut  is  to  be  in  full  communion  with 
the  Episcopal  Church  in  Scotland ;  it  being  their  sincere 
resolution  to  put  matters  on  such  a  footing  as  that  the 
members  of  both  Churches  may  with  safety  and  freedom 
communicate  with  either,  when  their  occasions  call  them 
from  the  one  country  to  the  other ;  only  taking  care  when 
in  Scotland  not  to  hold  communion  in  sacred  offices  with 
those  persons  who,  under  pretence  of  Ordination  by  an 
English  or  Irish  bishop,  do,  or  shall  take  upon  them  to 
officiate  as  clergymen  in  any  part  of  the  National  Church 
of  Scotland,  and  whom  the  Scottish  Bishops  cannot  help 
looking  upon  as  schismatical  intruders,  designed  only  to 
answer  worldly  purposes,  and  uncommissioned  disturbers 


APPENDIX  3 '9 

of  the  poor  remains  of  that  once  flourishing  Church,  which 
both  their  predecessors  and  they  have,  under  many  difficul- 
ties, laboured  to  preserve  pure  and  uncorrupted  to  future 
ages. 

Article  IV.  With  a  view  to  the  salutary  purpose  men- 
tioned in  the  preceding  Articles,  they  agree  in  desiring 
that  there  may  be  as  near  a  conformity  in  worship  and 
discipline  established  between  the  two  Churches  as  is  con- 
sistent with  the  different  circumstances  and  customs  of 
nations ;  and  in  order  to  avoid  any  bad  effects  that 
might  otherwise  arise  from  political  differences,  they 
hereby  express  their  earnest  wish  and  firm  intention  to 
observe  such  prudent  generality  in  their  public  prayers, 
with  respect  to  these  points,  as  shall  appear  most  agree- 
able to  apostolic  rules  and  the  practice  of  the  primitive 
Church. 

Article  V.  As  the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Eucharist, 
or  the  administration  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Body  and 
Blood  of  Christ,  is  the  principal  bond  of  union  among 
Christians,  as  well  as  the  most  solemn  act  of  worship  in 
the  Christian  Church,  the  Bishops  aforesaid  agree  in 
desiring  that  there  may  be  as  httle  variance  here  as 
possible.  And  though  the  Scottish  Bishops  are  very  far 
from  prescribing  to  their  brethren  in  this  matter,  they 
cannot  help  ardently  wishing  that  Bishop  Seabury  would 
endeavour  all  he  can,  consistently  with  peace  and  prudence, 
to  make  the  celebration  of  this  venerable  mystery  con- 
formable to  the  most  primitive  doctrine  and  practice  in 
that  respect,  which  is  the  pattern  the  Church  of  Scotland 
has  copied  after  in  her  Communion  Office,  and  which  it 
has  been  the  wish  of  some  of  the  most  eminent  divines 
of  the  Church  of  England  that  she  also  had  more  closely 
followed  than  she  seems  to  have  done  since  she  gave  up 
her  first  reformed  liturgy  used  in  the  reign  of  King  Edward 
VI.,  between  which  and  the  form  used  in  the  Church  of 

2  A 


370      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Scotland  there  is  no  difference  in  any  point  which  the 
primitive  Church  reckoned  essential  to  the  right  ministra- 
tion of  the  Holy  Eucharist.  In  this  capital  article  there- 
fore of  the  Eucharistic  service,  in  which  the  Scottish  Bishops 
so  earnestly  wish  for  as  much  unity  as  possible,  Bishop 
Seabury  also  agrees  to  take  a  serious  view  of  the  Com- 
munion Office  recommended  by  them,  and  if  found  agree- 
able to  the  genuine  standards  of  antiquity,  to  give  his 
sanction  to  it,  and  by  gentle  methods  of  argument  and 
persuasion,  to  endeavour,  as  they  have  done,  to  introduce 
it  by  degrees  into  practice,  without  the  compulsion  of 
authority  on  the  one  side,  or  the  prejudice  of  former 
custom  on  the  other. 

Article  VI.  It  is  also  hereby  agreed  and  resolved 
upon,  for  the  better  answering  the  purposes  of  this  Con- 
cordate,  that  a  brotherly  fellowship  be  henceforth  main- 
tained between  the  Episcopal  Churches  in  Scotland  and 
Connecticut,  and  such  a  mutual  intercourse  of  ecclesi- 
astical correspondence  carried  on,  when  opportunity  offers 
or  necessity  requires,  as  may  tend  to  the  support  and 
edification  of  both  Churches. 

Article  VII.  The  Bishops  aforesaid  do  hereby  jointly 
declare,  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  that  in  the  whole 
of  this  transaction  they  have  nothing  else  in  view  but 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  His  Church  ;  and 
being  thus  pure  and  upright  in  their  intentions,  they 
cannot  but  hope  that  all  whom  it  may  concern  will  put 
the  most  fair  and  candid  construction  on  their  conduct, 
and  take  no  offence  at  their  feeble  but  sincere  endeavours 
to  promote  what  they  believe  to  be  the  cause  of  truth  and 
of  the  common  salvation. 

In  testimony  of  their  love,  to  which,  and  in  mutual 
good  faith  and  confidence,  they  have  for  themselves  and 
their  successors  in  office  cheerfully  put  their  names  and 
seals   to    these   presents    at   Aberdeen,   this   fifteenth    day 


APPENDIX  371 

of  November,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  eighty-four. 

Robert  KiLGOVR,  Bi's/iop  anci  Primus.    [L.  S.] 
Arthur  Petrie,  Bishop.    [L.  S.] 
John  Skinner,  junr.,  Bishop.    [L.  S.] 
Samuel  Seaburv,  Bishop.    [L.  S.] 


72      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 


D. 

INSTRUCTIONS  TO  BISHOP  SOUTHGATE 
(See  page  276) 

To  the  Venerable  and  Right  Rev.  Father  in  God  the  Patriarch 
of  the  Greek  Church,  resident  at  Constantinople  : — • 

January  2,  1 84 1. 

The  Episcopal  Church  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
deriving  its  Episcopal  power  in  regular  succession  from  the 
Holy  Apostles,  through  the  venerable  Church  of  England, 
has  long  contemplated,  with  great  spiritual  sorrow,  the 
divided  and  distracted  condition  of  the  Catholic  Church 
of  Christ  throughout  the  world.  This  sad  condition  of 
things  not  only  aids  the  cause  of  infidelity  and  irreligion, 
by  furnishing  evil-minded  men  with  plausible  arguments ; 
not  only  encourages  heresies  and  schisms  in  national 
branches  of  the  Catholic  Church,  but  is  also  a  very 
serious  impediment  to  the  diffusion  of  Gospel  truth  among 
those  who  are  still  in  the  darkness  of  heathenism,  or  are 
subject  to  other  false  religions,  or  continue  to  look  vainly 
for  the  coming  of  that  Messiah  Whose  advent  has  already 
blessed  the  world. 

The  arrogant  assumptions  of  universal  supremacy  and 
infallibility  of  the  Papal  head  of  the  Latin  Church,  render 
the  prospect  of  speedy  friendly  intercourse  with  him  dark 
and  discouraging.  The  Church  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  therefore,  looking  to  the  Triune  God  for  His 
blessings  upon  its  efforts  for  unity  in  the  Body  of  Christ, 
turns  with  hope  to  the  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  the 
spiritual  head  of  the  ancient  and  venerable  Oriental 
Church. 

In  this  Church  we  have  long  felt  a  sincere  interest.     We 


APPENDIX  373 

have  sympathised  with  her  in  the  trials  and  persecutions 
to  which  she  has  been  subjected ;  we  have  prayed  for  her 
deliverance  from  all  evils  and  mischiefs ;  and  we  have 
thanked  her  Divine  Head  that  He  has  been  pleased,  amid 
all  her  sufferings,  to  maintain  her  allegiance  to  Him. 

In  order  to  attempt  the  commencement  of  a  friendly 
and  Christian  intercourse  with  the  Oriental  Church,  the 
Church  in  the  United  States  resolved  to  send  two  of  its 
presbyters,  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Robertson,  and  the  Rev.  Horatio 
Southgate,  to  reside  at  Constantinople.  These  clergymen 
are  directed  to  make  inquiries  regarding  the  existing  state 
of  the  Church  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Patriarch  of 
Constantinople,  and  of  the  other  Eastern  Churches ;  to 
ascertain  the  relations  they  bear  to  each  other,  and  the 
views  they  maintain  in  regard  to  the  Apostolic  Churches 
of  Europe  and  America ;  to  answer  such  inquiries  as 
may  be  made  of  them  in  regard  to  the  origin,  constitu- 
tion, and  condition  of  the  Church  in  the  United  States ; 
and  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  conciliate  the  Christian 
love  and  regard  of  the  Oriental  Church  towards  its  younger 
sister  in  the  Western  world. 

After  some  preliminary  inquiries  and  study  of  the  lan- 
guage, they  will  present  themselves,  with  this  epistle  of 
introduction  (by  which  they  are  cordially  recommended 
to  the  Christian  courtesies  and  kind  offices  of  the  bishops 
and  clergy  of  the  Oriental  Church),  to  the  Patriarch  of 
Constantinople,  inviting  him  to  a  friendly  correspond- 
ence with  the  heads  of  the  Church  in  the  United  States, 
explaining  more  fully  the  views  and  objects  of  their 
Church,  and  inquiring  whether  a  mutual  recognition  of 
each  other  can  be  effected,  as  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church  of  Christ,  on  the  basis  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
and  the  first  Councils,  including  the  Apostles'  and  Nicene 
Creeds,  in  order  to  a  future  efficient  co-operation  against 
Paganism,  false  religion,  and  Judaism. 


374      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

They  will  make  it  clearly  understood  that  their  Church 
has  no  ecclesiastical  connection  with  the  followers  of 
Luther  and  Calvin,  and  takes  no  part  in  their  plans  or 
operations  to  diffuse  the  principles  of  their  sects.  They 
will  propose  to  the  Patriarch  such  aid  as  the  Church  in  the 
United  States  can  supply,  in  the  advancement  of  Chris- 
tian education,  and  in  the  promulgation  of  religious  truth, 
always  avoiding  the  points  in  which  the  two  Churches 
still  differ,  and  leaving  the  producing  of  a  closer  mutual 
conformity  to  the  blessing  of  God,  on  the  friendly  corres- 
pondence of  the  respective  heads  of  the  Churches,  or  to  a 
future  General  Council. 

Leaving  a  further  development  of  these  points  to  the 
oral  communications  of  its  delegates,  and  again  recom- 
mending them  to  the  Christian  candour  and  affection  of 
the  Patriarch  and  clergy  of  the  Oriental  Church,  and  re- 
peating the  hearty  desire  and  prayer  of  the  bishops  and 
clergy  of  the  United  States  for  their  prosperity,  we  remain 
your  brethren  in  Christ — 

Alexander  Viets   Griswold,  of  the  Eastern  Diocese 

and  Senior  of  the  American  Church. 
Benjamin  Tredwell  Onderdonk,  of  New  York. 
George  Washington  Doane,  of  New  Jersey. 
Thomas  Church  Brownell,  of  Connecticut. 
Jackson  Kemper,  of  Missouri,  &c. 
William  Rollinson  Whittingham,  of  Maryland. 
Henry  Ustick  Onderdonk,  of  Pennsylvania. 


The  above  document  would,  doubtless,  have  been 
signed  by  all  the  Bishops,  but  there  was  only  time 
enough  to  see  those  whose  names  are  appended. 


AUTHORITIES 


Abbey.—"  The  English  Church." 

Abbey  and  Overton. — "  The  English  Church  in  the  Eighteenth  Century," 

Allen. — *'  History  of  the  Church  in  Maryland." 

Anderson. — "History  of  the  Colonial  Church." 

Ayres. — "Life  of  Wm.  A.  Muhlenberg,  D.D." 

Baiuroft. — "  History  of  the  United  States." 

Batterson. — "  The  American  Episcopate." 

Beardsley. — *'  Life  and  Correspondence  of  Samuel  Seabury,  D.D." 

Beardsky. — "  Life  of  Samuel  Johnson,  D.D." 

Beardsley. — "  History  of  the  Church  in  Connecticut." 

Belcher. — "  The  Clergy  of  America." 

Benham. — "  Short  History  of  the  American  Church." 

Berrian. — *'  History  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York." 

Berrian. — "  Memoir  of  Bishop  Hobart." 

Bolton.—"  History  of  the  Church  in  West  Chester  Co.,  New  York." 

Brand. — "  Life  of  Bishop  Whittingham." 

Breck,  Charles.—''  Life  of  J.  L.  Breck,  D.D." 

Bronson. — "  Memorial  of  Bird  Wilson,  D.D." 

.fir^Tt/w.— "The  Genesis  of  the  Unhed  States." 

Burgess,  Alex, — "  Life  of  Bishop  Burgess." 

Burgess,    Geo. — "  Papers   from   the    Ecclesiastical    History    of    New 

England." 
Burr. — "  The  Records  of  Holy  Trinity  Church,  Wilmington)  Delaware." 
California. — "The  Historical  Society,  Publications  of" 
Casivall. — "The  American  Church  and  the  American  Union." 
Caswall. — "America  and  the  American  Church." 
Chase, — "  Reminiscences." 

Clark. — "  History  of  S.  John's  Church,  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey." 
Clarkson. — "  History  of  the  Church  of  Zion  and  S.  Timothy,  New  York." 
Coit. — "  Puritanism." 

Croswell,  Harry. — "Memoirs  of  William  Croswell,  D.D." 
Cummins,  A.  M, — "  Memoir  of  George  D.  Cunmiins,  D.D." 
"  Classified  Digest  of  the  Records  of  the  S.  P.  G." 
Da  Costa. — "The  Colonial  Church." 

375 


2,-](i      HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 

Da  Costa. — "  Memorial  History  of  the  Diocese  of  New  York." 

Denison. — "  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal -Church." 

Dix. — "  History  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York." 

Doane,  IV,  C. —  "Life  and  Writings  of  Bishop  Doane." 

Dorr. — "History  of  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia." 

Dyer. — "  Records  of  an  Active  Life." 

Evans. — "  Essay  on  the  Episcopate." 

Gadsden. — "Life  of  Bishop  Dehon." 

Gavibrall. — "  Life  in  Colonial  Maryland." 

C^rflj.—"  Memoirs  of  Benjamin  C.  Cutler,  D.D." 

Green. — "  Life  of  Bishop  Otey." 

Harris. — "Bohlen  Lectures  for  1882." 

Harrison. — "  Life  of  Bishop  Kerfoot.  // 

Hawks. — "  Ecclesiastical  Contributions." 

Henshaw. — "  Memoir  of  Bishop  Richard  C.  Moore." 

Hills. — "  History  of  S.  Mary's  Church,  Burlington,  New  Jersey." 

Hockin. — "John  Wesley  and  Modern  Methodism." 

Holcomb. — "History  of  Immanuel  Church,  New  Castle,  Delaware." 

Hopkins,  J.  H.,Jun. — "  Life  of  Bishop  Hopkins." 

Hotchkin. — "  Early  Clergy." 

Howe. — "  Memoirs  of  Bishop  Alonzo  Potter." 

Humphrey.—"  History  of  the  S.  P.  G." 

Huiton.—"  Life  of  Bishop  Pinkney." 

Jackson. — "  Life  of  Charles  Wesley," 

Johns. — "  Life  of  Bishop  Meade." 

Keith. — "Travels  from  New  Hampshire  to  Caratuck." 

Lightfoot. — "  Leaders  in  the  Northern  Church." 

M'Connell. — "  History  of  the  American  Episcopal  Church." 

M'llvaine. — "Struggles  of  Protestant  Dissenters  for  Religious  Toleration 
in  Virginia." 

Meade. — "Old  Churches,  Ministers,  and  Families  of  Virginia." 

Neal.—"  The  Puritans." 

Nevin.—"  S.  Paul's  within  the  Walls." 

Norton. — "  Life  of  Bishop  Bass." 

Norton. — "  Life  of  Bishop  Provoost." 

Percival. — "  Apology  for  the  Apostolical  Succession." 

Perry,  C.  G.—"A  History  of  the  Church  of  England." 

Perry,  W.  S. — "  Bohlen  Lectures  for  1890  "  ;  "  Reprints  of  General  Con- 
vention Journals,  with  Historical  Notes,  &c."  ;  "  Historical  Collec- 
tions of  the  American  Colonial  Church  "  ;  "  History  of  the  American 
Episcopal  Church"  ;  "  Handbook  of  the  General  Conventions." 

Shea. — "The  Life  and  Epoch  of  Alexander  Hamilton." 

Shea, — "The  Seabury  Commemoration." 

Spencer, — "Memorabilia  of  Sixty-five  Years." 


AUTHORITIES  377 

Spragtie. — "Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit." 

Stevens, — "  Early  History  of  the  Church  in  Georgia." 

Stone. — "Memoirs  of  Bishop  Griswold." 

Sweet. — "  The  Champion  of  the  Cross.'' 

Turner. — "Autobiography." 

Tyng,  C.  y?.— "  Life  of  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  D.D." 

Van  Antwerp. — "Church  History." 

Walker. — "Memoir  of  C.  W.  Andrews,  D.D." 

Walker,  W. — "  Memoirs  of  Bishops  Jolly  and  Gleig." 

Ward. — "  Life  and  Times  of  Bishop  White." 

Waylen. — "  Ecclesiastical  Reminiscences." 

White. — "Memoirs  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church." 

Wilberforce. — "  History  of  the  American  Church." 

Wilson,  B, — "  Memoirs  of  Bishop  White." 

Wilson,/.  G. — "Centennial  History  of  New  York." 

Wilson  and  Fiike. — "  Encyclopaedia  of  American  Biography.** 

Winsor, — "Narrative  and  Critical  History  of  America." 


INDEX 


Adams,  John  .....  152 
Adams,  the    Rev.  William, 

D.D 284 

Africa,  missions  to      .     .  267-269 

,,       first  missionary  to    .       48 

Aguas,  the  Rev 287 

Albany,  Cathedral  at .     .     .     343 
Alexandria,  Theological  Se- 
minary at  212,305 

Allison,  Rev.  Dr loi 

Amen'can  ChurcJima't,  The  310 
Andrews,  Sir  Edmund  .  .  6^ 
Andrews,  the  Rev.  John,  D.D.  189 
Andrews    (or    Andrus),  the 

Rev.  Joseph  R 267 

Andrews,  the  Rev.  William  265 
Anglican  Church,   America 

colonised  for  the  .  .  .1-17 
Anketell,  the  Rev.  John  .  .  300 
Annapolis,  meeting  of  clergy 

at 137 

Anne,  Queen 90 

„  her    gifts    to 

the  American  Church  .  .  90 
Apthorp,  the  Rev.  East  .  ,  98 
Arnold,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  .  46 
Articles  of  Religion  167,  198-200 
Asbury,  Francis  .  .  .  .  175 
Ascension,    Church    of   the 

(Philadelphia)  ....  338 
Ashtabula,  S.  Peter's  Church 

285  note 
Atkinson,    the   Right    Rev. 

Thomas,  D.D.    .    .     .251,252 


PAGE 

Auchmuty,  the  Rev.  Samuel, 
D.D 335 

Auer,  the  Right  Rev.  John 
G.,  D.D 274  note 

Auxiliary,  the  Woman's  .     .     270 

Ayscue,  Sir  George     ...       51 

Backhouse,       the      Rev. 

Richard 73i  83 

Bacon,  Ephraim  ....  269 
Baldwin,  the  Rev.  Ashbel  .  145 
Baldwin,  the  Hon.  II.  P.  .  333 
Baltimore,  Lord  ...  24,  59 
Baltimore,  General  Conven- 
tions at 204,  259 

Baptism,  the  first   ....         7 
Baptismal  Regeneration,  de- 
claration on 260 

Barclay,  the  Rev.  Henry     .     335 
Barton,  the  Rev.  Thomas  73,  100, 
130  7iote,  266 
Bass,  the  Right  Rev.  Edward, 

D.D.  .    131,  163,  187,  194,  202 
Beach,  the  Rev.  Abraham  41,  141 

Beach,  John 72 

Becket,  the  Rev.  William  .  74 
Bedell,  the  Rev.  Dr.  .     .     .     217 

Benicia 286 

Benson,  Bishop 98 

Benton,  the  Rev.  George  .  274 
Berkeley,  Bishop  ....  75 
Berkeley,  the  Rev.  George, 

D.D 123 

Berkeley  Divinity  School    75,  306 


379 


38o 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Berkeley,  Sir  William  ,  .  20 
Berrian,  the  Rev.  Wm.,  D.D.  336 
Bexley  Hall,  Gambier  .  .  305 
Biorck,  the  Rev.  Eric  .  .  28 
Bishops,  Baptists  desire  .  .  loi 
,,        need  of  and  efforts 

to  obtain  .  86-105,  142,  154, 
160-162 
Bishops,  opposition  to  .  99,  loi, 
144,  150,  160,  161 
„  presiding  ...  357 
,,  succession  of  Ame- 
rican       350-356 

Black  gowns,  wearing  of  .  344 
Blair,  the  Rev.  Mr.  ...  76 
Blair,  the  Rev.  James,  D.D.  56 
Blaxton     (or    Blackestone), 

William 22 

Bondet,  the  Rev.  Daniel  .  35 
Boone,     the     Right     Rev. 

William  J.,  D.D.  ...  275 
Boone,     the     Right     Rev. 

William  J.,  Jr.,  D.D.  .  .  2S0 
Boston,  early  Convention  at  142 
Boucher,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  54, 
125 
Boyd,  the  Rev.  George,  D.D.  339 
Bowden,    the     Rev.    John, 

D.D 193  no/e 

Braddock,  General      .     .     .     341 

Brand,  the  Rev.  Dr.  .     .     .     183 

Bray,  the  Rev.  Thomas,  D.D.  58, 

60,  89 

Bray's  libraries 58 

Breck,the  Rev.  James  Lloyd, 

D.D 2S4-286 

Bridgeman,  Sir  Orlando  .  .  88 
Brooke,  the  Rev.  John  .  .  46 
Brooks,     the     Riglit     Rev. 

Phillips,  D.D.,  ....  334 
Brotherhood  of  S.  Andrew  .  341 
Brown,  the  Rev.  Daniel  .  ,  40 
Brown,  the  Rev.  Isaac  .  .  130 
Brown,  John 23 


PAGE 

Brown,  Samuel .     ....  23 

Bucke,  the  Rev.  Richard     .  13 

Buenos  Ayres,  mission  to     .  270 

Bull,  the  Rev.  Wm.  Tredwell  33 
Burlington,  N.  J.,  proposed 

see  at 91 

Burlington,  N.  J.,  S.  Mary's 

Church 107 

Butler,  Bishop 97 

California,  first  services  in  2 
Calvert,  Sir  George  ...  24 
Cambridge  (Massachusetts), 

parish  at 216 

Cambridge,  Episcopal  Theo- 
logical School  at     .     .     .     306 
Caner,  the  Rev.      ....       64 
Carey,  the  Rev.  Arthur   .     .     238 
Carroll,  Archbishop    .     .     .     17 1 
"Case     of    the     Episcopal 
Churches  considered.  The"  105, 
117,  142 
Caskey,  the  Rev.  T.  F.    .     .     301 

Cathedrals 342,  343 

Causton,  Thomas  ....       79 
Centennial   commemoration 
of     Seabury's     consecra- 
tion,       121  Ho/e 

Chandler,  the  Rev,  Thomas, 

D.D.  .  48,  104,  116,  119,  148 
Charles  I.,  King  .  ,  .  .  5,  19 
Charles  II.,  King  .  .  5,  31,  87 
Charleston,      S.     Michael's  • 

Church 189,  324 

Charleston,  S.  Philip's  Church  31 
Charters,  religious  character 

of  early      .     .     .     .4-6,20,21 
.  Chase,  the  Right  Rev.  Phil- 
ander, D.D.    .     .  214,  217,  235 
Checkley,  the  Rev.  John      .       92 
Cheney,  the  Rev.  Chas.  E.     260- 
262 
Chester,  Pa.,  the  church  at .       44 
Chicago,  Cathedral  at     .     .     343 


INDEX 


381 


PAGE 

Chicago,  the  declaration  at  314-16 
Childs,  George  W.  .  ,  3  tio/e 
Chimneys  in  churches  .  .  342 
China,  missions  to  272-275,  280 
Choirs,  surpliced  .  .  .  324-326 
Christ  Church,  Boston  .  .  133 
Christ  Church,  Philadelphia     42, 

73,  133 
Christianity  the  common  law 

of  America  ,  1-6,  20,  21,  227 
Christian  unity  177,  196,  312-318 
"Christian  Year"  ....     244 

Church  clubs 345 

Church  Congress,  the  .  .  344 
Church  Eclectic^  The  .  .  .  311 
Church  Journal  .  ,  .  .  310 
Churchman,  The  .  ,  193,  310 
Churchman's  Magazine  .  .  310 
Church  Revieiv,  The  .  .  .  311 
Church  Standard,  The  .  .  311 
Church  Temperance  Society  309 
Civil  War,  the  ....  246 
Claggett,  the  Right  Rev.  T. 

J.,  D.D.  .  .  .169,  194,  208 
Clarendon,  Lord  ....  88 
Clark,  the  Rev.  S.  A.,  D.D.  46 
Clarkson,  the  Rev.  Joseph  ,  30 
Clayton,  the  Rev.  Thomas  .  42 
Coit,  the   Rev.    Henry   A., 

D.D 334 

Coke,  the  Rev.  Dr.  .  .173-176 
Colbatch,  the  Rev.  Joseph  .  94 
Cole,  the  Rev.  A.  D.,  D.D.  285 
Coleman,  the  Rev.  John,  D.D.  310 
Colenso,  Bishop  ....  263 
Colonisation  of  negroes  215,  268, 
282 
Coloured      people,       work 

among  the      .     .  267,  280-283 
Communicants  only  as  dele- 
gates      200,  214 

Communion  Office,  the,  124,  167 
Compton,  Bishop  19,  41  no(e,  56 
Conant,  Roger 16 


PAGE 

Concordate,  the  Seabury  124,  367 
Confederate      States,      the 

Church  in  the  .  .  .  250,  251 
Confirmation,  an  early  .  .  145 
Connecticut,  first  services  in  39 
Connelly,  the  Rev.  Pierce  .  300 
Consecration  of  church,  the 

first 146  nofe 

Constitution  of  the  Church    134, 
149,  165 
Continent,  Churches  on  the 

European  ....  298-302 
Cooper,  the  Rev.  Myles,  D.D.  123 
Cornell,  the  Rev.  John   .     .     301 

Cotton,  Master 71 

Cotton,  Sir  Robert  .  .  24  no/e 
Coxe,  the  Right  Rev.  A.  C, 

D.D 284  no/e 

Crashaw,  the  Rev.  William  6 

Creeds,  the  .     144,  154-156,  166, 
199 
Crete,  mission  to    ...     .     274 
Croes,  the  Right  Rev.  John, 

D.D 131 

Croswell,  the  Rev.  Harry, 

D.D 211,  213 

Croswell,  the  Rev.  William, 

DD 213 

Culpeper,  Lord 20 

Cummings,  the  Rev.  Archi- 
bald       44 

Cummins,   the  Right    Rev. 

George  D.,  D.D.  209,  260,  261 
Currie,  the  Rev.  William  .  83 
Cutler,    the  Rev.  Timoth)-, 

D-D 40,  94 

Daily  Prayers.  9,  13,  107,  239 
Danby,  Sir  Thomas    ...       19 

Dare,  Virginia 7 

Dashiell,  the  Rev.  George  .  209 
Dashwood,  Sir  Francis  166  tio/e 
Daughters  of  the  King  .  ,  345 
Deaconesses,      ,     ,     .     .  296, 297 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Deaf  Mutes,  mission  to  .  .  295 
Declaration    on    Baptismal 

Regeneration      ....     260 
Declaration  on  Church  Unity  289 
,,         of  Independence      133 
„         of  Rights  (Civil)       133 
,,               „          (Eccle- 
siastical)     137 

Degrees  of  Affinity     .     .     .     205 
Dehon,  the  Right  Rev.  Theo- 
dore, D.D.  .     .     189,  201,  303 
De  Koven,  the  Rev.  James, 

D.D 258,  259,  308 

Delaware,  first  services  in   .       28 
,,  later  services  in  .       74 

De  la  Warr,  Lord  .  .  .  .  6,  13 
Denys,  the  Rev.  F.  Ward  .  300 
Dickinson,  Jonathan  ...  46 
Division  of  dioceses   149,  201,  329 

Divorce 205 

Dix,  the  Rev.  Morgan,  D.D.  336 
Doane,  the  Right  Rev. 
George  W.,  D.D.  219,  242-244, 

304,  339,  343 
Doane,  the  Right  Rev.  Wm. 

C,  D.D 322,  343 

Doddridge,  the  Rev.  Joseph, 

M.D 201 

Doddridge,  the  Rev.  Philip, 
D.D.     .......       95 

Domestic  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  ....     269 

Dominguez,  Don   ....     287 

Dongan,  Governor  Thomas  34 
Dorr,   the   Rev.    Benjamin, 

D.D 42 

Drake,  Sir  Francis  ...  2 
Drake,  the  Rev.  Dr.  ...  159 
Dresden,  S.  John's  Church  301 
Duche,  the  Rev.  Jacob  131,  222, 
224 
Dudley,  Joseph      ....       63 

Duelling 190,  204 

Dyer,  the  Rev.  11.,  D.D.    .     344 


PACK 

EoucATioNALinstitiitionsof 
the  Church     55,  215,  244,  246, 

305-309 
Eliot,  the  Rev,  John  .     .     .     265 
Elizabeth,  S.  John's  Church      46, 
48 
Episcopal  Recorder,  The      ,     310 
Episcopal  Register,  The,     .     310 
Episcopate,  American,  suc- 
cession of  ...     .      350-356 
Episcopate,  want  of,  desire 
for,  and  obtaining  of      86-105, 
142,  154,  160-162 

Erastianism 199  note 

"  Essays  and  Reviews  "  .  .  262 
Establishment  of  the  Church  33, 
34,  50,  58,  61,  80,  179 
Evans,  the  Rev.  Evan  42,  92,  135 
Evans,  Hugh  Davey,  LL.D.    328 

Fabritius,  the  Rev.  Jacob       28 

Faneuil,  Peter 64 

Faribault  ....  2S6,  306,  343 
Female  vested  choirs  .  .  ,  326 
Ferguson,  the  Rev.  Colin  ,  145 
Ferguson,   the    Right    Rev. 

Samuel  D 274  note 

Ferrar,  John 12 

Ferrar,  Nicholas  ....  12 
Fires  in  churches  ....  342 
First  Church  service  in  the 

United  States  ....  3 
Fletcher,  Col.  Benjamin      33,  34, 

36 
Fletcher,  the   Rev.  Francis 

(or  Martin) 2 

Florence,  American  Church 

in 300 

Fogg,  the  Rev.  David,  D.D. 

118  note,  359,  360 

Forrester,  the  Rev.  Henry  .     294 

franklin,  Benjamin  .        73,  132, 

166  note 

Free  churches 340 


INDEX 


383 


PACE 

Freeman,  Mr 65 

PVee  schools S5i  57 

French,  the  Rev.  William  C, 

D.D 311 

Frobisher,  Martin  ....         2 


GALLAUDET.the  Rev.Thos., 

D.D 

Garden,  the  Rev.  Alexander       33 
General  Convention,  origin  of  141 
,,                 ,,  the  first    142 
,,       Conventions,  list  of 
General  Theological  Semi- 
nary  212,  304- 

Geneva,  Emmanuel  Church 
George  I.,  King     .     .     . 
Georgia,  first  services  in . 
Gibson,  the  Rev.  Richard    24 
Gibson,  the  Rev.  William  T 

D.D 

Gilbert,  Sir  Humphrey   . 
Girard,  Stephen     .     .     . 
Girls'  Friendly  Society    . 
Gist,  Christopher  .     .     . 
Glass,  first  painted      .     . 
Glover,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Gordon,  Governor  Patrick 
Gordon,  the  Rev.  Patrick 
Gordon,  the  Rev.  W.  B.    292,  294 
Gorges,  Sir  Ferdinando  .     10,  69 

Gosnold 7 

Gospel  Messenger,  The    .     .     311 

Gowns,  black 344 

Grant,  President  U.  S.    .     .     300 
Grants  from  public  funds  to 

the  Church  .  .  34,  179,  211 
Graves,     the     Right     Rev, 

Frederick  R,  D.D.  .  .  2S0 
Greaves,  the  Rev.  John  .  .  142 
Greece,  missions  to     .     .  270-272 

Green  Bay 269 

Griffith,    the    Rev.    David       149, 

157,  161,  162 

Griffith,  the  Rev.  William   .     143 


295 


357 

305 

300 

92 

77 
,  26 

3" 

4 

225 

334 

341 

343 

15 

45 

.S6 


PAGE 

Grisvi'old,    the    Right   Rev. 

A.  v.,  D.D 99,  232 

Gunn,  Samuel  .  .  .  217,  341 
Gyles,  John 26 

Haiti,  mission  to  ...  280 
Hakluyt,  the  Rev.  Richard  5 

Hale,  the  Right  Rev.  C.  R., 

D.D 294 

Hall,  the  Rev.  Clement  .  76 
Halliday,  the  Rev.  Thos.  46,  48 
Hamilton,  Alexander  .  .  133 
Hanson,  the  Rev.  Francis  R.  273 
Hare,  the  Rev.  George  E., 

D.D 306 

Hare,      the      Right      Rev. 

William  H.,  D.D.  .  .  282 
Harris,  Townsend  ,  .  .  279 
Hart,    the     Rev.     Samuel, 

D.D 322 

Harvard  University  .  .  .  216 
Hawks,  the  Rev.  Francis  L., 

D.D.  .  .  108,  219,  240,  325 
Heathcote,  Col.  Caleb  .  38,  39 
Henderson,  the  Rev.  Jacob  108 
Henrico,  University  of       18  no(e, 

55 
Henry,  Patrick  .  .  .  53,  133 
Herbert,  George  ...  12 
Herbert,    the  Rev.    Henry, 

D.D 77 

Heriot  (or  Hariot),  Thomas  4 
Higginson,  the  Rev.  Francis  23 
Hill,    the    Rev.    John    H., 

D.D 271,  272 

Hobart,  the  Right  Rev.  John 

Henry,  D.D.  .  .  230,  335 
Hobart,     the     Rev.     John 

Henry,  D.D 2S4 

Hobart  College,  ....  307 
Hoffman,  the   Rev.   E.   A., 

D.D 304 

Hoffman,  the  Hon.  Murray  332 
Hoffman  Hall,  Nashville      .     307 


384 


INDEX 


Holly,  the  Right  Rev.  J.  T., 
D.D 2S0 

Holy  Trinity  Church,  Wil- 
mington     .     .     27,  28  7iote,  30 

Homilies,  the 199 

Hooker,  the  Rev.  Thomas  .  71 
Hope,  Beresford  .....  343 
Hopkins,  the  Right  Rev. 
John  Henry,  D.D.  .  219,  251, 
262,  343 
Hopkins,   Jr.,  the   Rev.   J. 

H.,  D.D 310,  345 

Hopkinson,  Francis  133,  150,  155 
Home,  Dean      122  note^  192  note 

Hospitals 331 

Hotchkin,  the  Rev.  S.  F.  313  ttote 
Howe,  Sir  William  .  .  .  115 
Howie,  the  Rev.  Alexander  i^ 
Hudde,  Andreas  .  .  ,  ,  27 
Hunt,  the  Rev.  Robert  .  8 
Huntington,  Gov.  Samuel  116 
Huntington,  the  Rev.  W.  R., 

D.D 320,  322 

Hymnal,  revision  of  the  323,  324 

Identity  with  Church  of 
England,    .     .        138,  179,  182 

Indians,  evangelisation  of 
the   3,  II,  12,  264-266,  269,  281 

Induction  of  clergy      ,     ,     37,  51 

Inglis,  the  Right  Rev. 
Charles,  D.D.       103,  135,  160, 

335 
Ingolsliy,  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor    48 

Innes,  the  Rev.  Alexander  .  46 
Institution  of  clergy  .  35,  36,  51 
Intolerance      towards      the 

Church       .     .     .  61-65,  70,  71 
Ives,  the  Right  Rev.  L.  S., 
D.D 242 


Jamaica,  N.  Y. 
JauRs  I.,  King 


35 
5,  >8 


PACE 

James  II.,  King  .  ■  54  no/e,  88 
James,  the  Rev.  Richard     .       24 

Jamestown,  Va 8 

»  ,,     church  at  8, 16,  55 

Japan,  missions  to  ...  279 
Jarratt,  the  Rev.  Devereux  .  55 
Jarvis,      the      Right      Rev. 

Abraham,  D.D,  119,  159,  165, 
193  ttote,  194 
Jarvis,  the  Rev.  Samuel  F., 

D-D 237,  304 

Jay,  John 133 

Jefferson,  Thomas  ,  .  .  133 
Jews,  mission  to  the  .  .  283 
Johnson,  the  Rev.  Gideon  ,  32 
Johnson,  the  Rev.  J.  Edgar  301 
Johnson,  the  Rev.  Samuel, 

D.D.  ...  40,  41,  94,  96 
Johnson,    the    Rev.    S.    R., 

D.D 179  note 

Johnson,  Samuel  ....  222 
Jones,  the  Rev.  Absalom  .  267 
Jones,  the  Rev.  Hugh  .  .  62 
Jones,  the  Rev.  Lot  .  .  .  270 
Jones,  the  Rev.  Morgan  .  31 
Jordan,  the  Rev.  Robert  .  26 
Jubilee  College       ....     236 

Keith,  the  Rev.  George     36,  39, 

43.  44.  45.  89 
Keith,  Col.  William  ...  74 
Kemp,     the     Right      Rev. 

James,  D.D 208 

Kemper,    the    Right    Rev. 

Jackson,  D.D.       201  note,  220, 

245 
Kent,  Chancellor   ....     227 

Kent,  Isle  of 25 

Kenyon  College       218,  235,  305, 

307 
Kerfoot,    the     Right     Rev. 
J.  B.,  D.D.      .    .   249  7iote,  288 

Key,  Francis  S 210 

Kilgour,  Biahop     ....     123 


INDEX 


385 


King,  Bishop  of  London  15,  19 
King  Hall,  at  Washington  .  307 
King's  Chapel,  Boston     .    .      63 

Labagh,  the  Rev.  Mr.  .  .  283 
Lake,  Bishop  .  .  .  .  16,  69 
Lambeth  Conference  .  263,  317 
Lamson,  the  Rev.  W.  O.  .  298 
Langdon,  the  Rev.  Wm.  C, 

D.D 299,  300 

Laud,  Archbishop       ...       81 

Lay  Baptism 207 

Lay-readers  7,  22,  23,  26,  28, 
57,  216,  341 
Lay  representation  in  Con- 
ventions 142,  147,  148,  160, 
186,  200,  214 
Lay,  the  Right  Rev.  Henry 

C.,  D.D 251,  252 

Leake,  John 337 

Leaming,  the  Rev.  Jeremiah, 

D.D.  .  .  118,  119,  159,  364 
Lee,  the  Right  Rev.  Alfred, 

D.D 281,288 

Lee,  Richard  Henry  .  .  105 
Lehigh  University  .  307,  308 
Le  Jau,  the  Rev.  Dr.  .  .  32 
L'Escarbot  ....  10  note 
Lewes,  S.  Peter's  Church  .  25 
Liddon,    the   Rev.   H.    P., 

D.D 121  note 

Liggins,  the  Rev.  John  .  279 
Lincoln,  President  Abraham  218 
Lindsay,  the  Rev.  William  47 
Littlejohn,  Bishop  .  300, 301 
Living  Church,  The.  .  .  311 
Lock,  the  Rev.  Lars  ...       27 

Locke,  John 31 

Lockier,  the  Rev.  John  75  note 
Lockwood,  the  Rev.  Henry  273 
London,      Bishop     of,      in 

charge  of  the  colonies     19,  94, 

95.  172 
Lotteries  for  the  Church    73,  211 


PAGE 

Lucerne,  Christ  Church  .  .  301 
Lutherans,  desire  of,  for  the 

Episcopate 172 

Lyde,  the  Rev.  Augustus  F.  272 

Madison,  Bishop  131,  162,  169, 
177 
Mahan,  the  Rev.  Milo,  D.D.  249, 
328 
Maine,  first  services  in  .  .  10 
Mansfield,  the  Rev.  Richard, 

D.D 159,  213 

Mantoe  (or  Manteo)  ...  7 
Marblehead,  parish  at  .  .  215 
Markham,  Archbishop     119,  120, 

159 

Marshall,  John  ....  133 
Marshall,  the  Rev.  John  R.  117 
Martinez,  Rafael  Diaz  .  .  287 
Maryland,  early  services  in  24,  58 
Mason,  George  ....  133 
Mason,  the  Rev.  John  M., 

D.D 231 

Massachusetts,  first  services 

in 22,  23 

Maule,  the  Rev.  Robert,      .       32 
Maverick,  Samuel       ...       23 
Maxwell,  the  Rev.  Samuel .       32 
Mayhew,  the  Rev.  Jonathan       98 
Mead,  the  Rev.  Wm.  C,  D.D.     325 
Meade,  the  Right  Rev.  Wm., 
D.D.       .     ...     .     .     218,  283 

Meiklejohn,  the  Rev.  George  214 
Mercer,  Dr.  William  Newton  282 
Methodists,  the  .  174,  175,  214 
Me.xico,  mission  to  .  286-295 
Michell,  the  Rev.  John  .  .  24 
Middletown,  first  Conven- 
tion at 145 

Milnor,  the  Rev.  James,  D.D.  236 
Milwaukee,  cathedral  at  .  343 
Minor,  the  Rev.  Lancelot  B.  274 
Missionary  work  of  the  Church  186, 
220,  244,  245,  264-297 
2  B 


386 


INDEX 


PACE 

Mitre,  use  of  the  .  .  192,  207 
Mohawk  Indians  ....  335 
Moore,  Archbishop  II9,  120,  158 
Moore,  the  Right  Rev.  Ben- 
jamin, D.D.  141,  198,  206,  335 
Moore,  Clement  C.  .  .  .  212 
Moore,     the     Right     Rev. 

Richard  C,  D.D.    ...     232 
Moore,  the  Rev.  Thorough- 
good      4S,  265 

Morgan,  the  Rev.  John  B., 

D.D 298 

Morrell,  the  Rev.  William  21,  87 
Morris,  Col.  Lewis  ,  .  36,  45 
Morris,  Robert  •  •  •  •  '33 
Morton,  Thomas    ....       22 

Moss,  Bishop 159 

Muhlenberg,  the  Rev.  John 

P.  G 132 

Muhlenberg,  the  Rev.  Wm. 

Augustus,  D.D.     296,  312,  319, 

328,  330-332,  339 

Muirson,   the   Rev.  George     35, 

39,  266 

Murray,  the  Rev.  Alexander, 

D.D 88,  109 

Music  of  the  Church  .  .  .  207 
Myles,  the  Rev.  Samuel  .  37 
M'llvaine,  the  Right  Rev. 

C.  P.,  D.D.  .     .  218,  219,  299 
M  'Kim,  the  Right  Rev.  John, 

D.D 280 

M'Sparran,  the  Rev.  James, 

D.D 85,  91 

M'Vickar,  the  Rev.  William 
A.,  D.D 301 

Name  of  the  Church     137,  181- 

184,  250 

Nash,  the  Rev.  Daniel    .     .     236 

Nashotah 285,  305 

Neau,  Elias 267 

Negroes,  work  among  the  .    267, 
282,  283 


PAGE 

Neill,  the  Rev.  Hugh  .  .  100 
Nevin,  the  Rev.  R.  J.,  D.D.  299 
New  Brunswick,  preliminary 

Convention  at  ...  ,  141 
Newcastle,  Duke  of  .  .  .  95 
New  England,  early  services 

in 7,  II,  23,  24 

New  Hampshire,  early  ser- 
vices in 24 

New  Haven,  General  Con- 
vention at 205 

New  Jersey,   early   services 

in 45 

Newport,  early  services  in   .       75 

New  Rochelle 35 

Newspapers,  Church  .  .  .  310 
Newton,  Edward  A.  .  .  .  272 
New  York,  cathedral  at  .  343 
New  York,  early  services  in 

33  ei  seqq. 
„  first  Convention 

at 143 

New  York,  General  Conven- 
tions at      .     202,  209,  218,  249 
Nice,  Church  of  the  Holy 

Spirit  at 301 

Nicholls,  the  Rev.  Henry     .       43 
Nicholson,  Col.  Francis       44,  52 
Nicolls,  Col.  Richard      .     .       33 
North   Carolina,    early  ser- 
vices in 7,  76 

North-^vesiern  Church,  The     310 

Oakes,  President  ....  71 
Odenheimer,  the  Right  Rev. 

William  H.,  D.D.  .  285  note 
Offerings,  systematic  .  .  246 
Ogden,  the  Rev.  Uzal,  D.D.      19, 

195 
Oglethorpe,  General  ...  JJ 
Oliver,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Fitch  146 
Omaha,  cathedral  at  .  .  .  343 
Onderdonk,  the  Right  Rev. 
B.  T.,  D.D.       .     .     .  238,  241 


INDEX 


387 


PAGE 

Onderdonk,  the  Right  Rev. 

H.  U.,  D.D,  .  .  .  201,  241 
Ordinations,    the     first     in 

America 145,  146 

Ornaments  of  the  Church  55,  257 
Oson,  the  Rev.  Jacob  .  .  270 
Otey,  the  Right  Rev.  James 

H.,  D.D.  .  .  245,  246,  283 
Oxford  Movement,  the       .      237 

Packer,  Asa 308 

Paris,  the  Church  of  the  Holy 

Trinity 298 

Paris,  S.  Luke's  Church  .  299 
Parish  buildings    ....      344 

Parish  clerks 340 

Park,  the  Rev.  Roswell,  D.D.  308 
Parker,     the     Right     Rev. 

Samuel.D.D.  131,145,151,202 
"  Parsons'  Cause,"  the     .     .       53 

Pastoral  staffs 343 

Payne,  the  Right  Rev.  John, 

D.D 274 

Payne  Divinity  School    .     .     307 
Penalties  for  irreligious  con- 
duct        14,  60 

Penick,  the  Right  Rev.  C.C, 

D.D 274  7!0^£ 

Penn,  John 26  7w/e 

Penn,  William 41 

Perry,  Commodore  .  .  .  279 
Perry,     the     Right      Rev. 

William  Stevens,  D.D. 

240  >iote 
Perth  Amboy,  church  at  .  47 
Peters,  the  Rev.  Richard  84,  131 
Peters,    the    Rev.    Samuel, 

D.D 187,  222 

Peters,  the  Rev.  Thos.  M., 

D.  D 339  7iofe 

Petrie,  Bishop 124 

Pettigrew,  Rev.  Charles  .  .  191 
Philadelphia,        the        Old 

Swedes'  Church  at  .     .30  »o/e 


Philadelphia  Divinity  School,    306 
,,            Episcopal  Aca- 
demy of    ....     .  306  fio/e 
Philadelphia,   first   Conven- 
tion at 142 

Philadelphia,  General  Con- 
ventions at     147,149,150,  162, 
187, 194,  212, 214,  217,  219,  251 
Piggott,  the  Rev.  Robert     .     338 
Pitkin,  William      ....       38 
Piatt,  the  Rev.  W.  H.,  D.D.    228 
Plowden,  Sir  Edmund     .     .       19 
Plymouth,   landing  at,  and 
Churchmen  of    ...     .       69 

Pocahontas 10,  15 

Polk,  the  Right  Rev.  Leoni- 

das,  D.D.  .  .  246,  253,  283 
Popham,  Sir  John  ...  10 
Portland,  cathedral  at  .  ,  343 
Portlock,  theRev.  Edward  42,  47 
Portsmouth,  S.John'sChurch  24 
Potter,     the     Right     Rev. 

Alonzo,  D.D.  297,  299,  306,  327 
Potter,  the  Right  Rev.  H.  C, 

D.D 343 

Potter,     the     Right     Rev. 

Horatio,  D.D.  .  .  ,  308,  333 
Prayer-Book,  first  use  of,  in 

the  United  States    ...         3 
Prayer-Book,  revision  of  151-153, 
165,  250,  319-322 
Prayer-Book,  French  version 

of 219 

Prayer-Book,   German   ver- 
sion of 220 

Prayer-Book,  other  versions 

of 220 

Prerogatives,  Episcopal     155,  165, 

205 

Presiding  Bishop,  office  of  .     184 

Presiding  Bishops,  list  of     .     357 

Price  Lectures 66 

Price,  William 66 

Pring 7 


INDEX 


Priorityof  Anglican  Bishops    170, 
171 
Proportionate       representa- 
tion in  General  Conven- 
tion   160,  161 

"Proposed  Book,"  the    151,  156, 

165 

Provoost,    the    Right    Rev. 

Samuel,  D.D.       105,  131,  155, 

158,  160,  1S4,  197,  20S,  335 

Pugh,  the  Rev.  John  ...       83 

Purcell,lhe  Rev.  Henry,  D.D.  190 

Puritans,  the      .     .   16,  26,  67-72 

"Quadrilateral,  The"  318 
Quakers  and  the  Church  42,  43, 
72,  73 
Quarry,  Col.  Robert  43,  103,  136 
Quincy,  the  Rev.  Samuel  .  77 
Quintard,  the  Right  Rev. 
C.  T.,  D.D.  .     .     . 


246 


Racine  College  ....  308 
Raleigh,  Sir  Walter  ...  4 
Randolph,  John  ....  133 
Rankin,   the    Rev.    C.    W. , 

D.D 296 

Ratcliffe,  the  Rev.  Robert  .  63 
Ravenscroft,  the  Right  Rev, 

Johns.,  D.D 214 

Reading,  the  Rev.  Philip  130  fio^e 
Reformed  Episcopal  Church  261 
Regents,  Cliurch  University 

Board  of 309 

Resignation  o!  sees  .  .  198,  219 
Reunion  of  the  Church  after 

the  Civil  War     .     .     .  249-251 

Revere,  Paul 133 

Revised  Version  of  the  Holy 

Scriptures 263 

Revision  of  Prayer-Book  and 

Hymnal  ....  319-324 
Revolution,  the  clergy  and 

the 129 


PAGE 

Rhode  Island,  early  services 

in 74-  S  5 

Richardson,  the  Rev.  N.  S. , 

D.D 311 

Richmond,  the  Rev.  William  339 
Riley,  the  Right  Rev.  Henry 

C,  D.D.  .  .  .  287,  289-292 
"Ritualism"  .  .  .  256-259 
Robertson,  the  Rev.  John  J., 

D.D 270,  276 

Rogers,  Ammi 203 

Rolfe,  John 15 

Rolfe,  Thomas 15 

Roman  Catholics  .  .  25,  58,  170 
Rome,  S.  Paul's  Church      .     300 

Rosier 5 

Ross,  the  Rev.  ^neas  .  .  73 
Ross,  the  Rev.  George  .  74,  82 
Routh,  the  Rev.  Dr.  .  .  .  123 
Rye,  N.Y 35 

'•  Sabbath-day  houses  "  .  342 
Sagadehoc,  church  at  the  .  1 1 
S.  Andrew,  Brotherhood  of  341 
S.      Augustine's      Training 

School 307 

S.  George's,  Maryland    .  25 

S.  John's  Church,  Northern 

Liberties,  Philadelphia  339 
S.   Luke's   Church,   Smith- 
field  30  f:ot£ 

S.    Mark's    Church,   Lewis- 
town      338 

S.  Mary's  Church,  Carolina 

Co.,  Virginia 54 

S.  Mary's  Hall,  Burlington       244 
S.  Michael's  Church,  Charle- 
ston   1S9 

S.  Paul's,    London,   Cente- 
nary at 121 

S.  Paul's  Church,  Troy   .     .     343 
S.  Paul's  Church,  Wickford  ^onofe 
S.    Peter's    Church,    Phila- 
delphia     .     .     .    133.  285  tio/e 


INDEX 


389 


PAGE 

S.  Philip's  Church,  New  York  267 
S.    Stephen's   College,  An- 

nandale 3°^ 

S.  Thomas's  Church,  Phila- 
delphia  267 

S.  Thomas's  Hall,  Flushing  325 
Salterne,  William  (or  Robert)  7 
Savage,  the  Rev.  Thos.  S.  269, 
274 
Schereschewsky,   the  Right 

Rev.  Samuel,  D.D.  .  .  280 
Seabury,  the  Rev.  Charles  .  193 
Seabury,  the  Right  Rev, 
Samuel,  D.D.  84,  113  et  seqq., 
14s,  150,  159,  184,  191 
Seabury,  the  Rev.  Samuel  .  114 
Seabury,  the  Rev.  Samuel, 

D.D 193 

Seabury,  the  Rev.  William 

J.,  D.D 193 

Seabury  Divinity  School,  at 

Faribault 306 

Seeker,  Archbishop  84,  91,  94,  98 
Services   of  the   Church  in 

the  United  States,  first  .  2 
Sewell,  the  Rev.  Richard  .  42 
Seymour,    the    Right    Rev. 

George  F.,  D.D.  .  259,  308 
Seymour,  the  Rev.  Richard  10 
Sharp,  Granville  ....  125 
Shattuck,  Dr.  George  C.  .  333 
Shea,  the  Hon.  George  124  note 
Shelton,  the  Rev.  Philo  .  .  145 
Sherlock,  Bishop  ....  94 
Sherred,  Jacob  .  .  .  212,304 
Shields,  the  Rev.  C.  W.,  D.D.  318 
Shrewsbur}',  N.  J.,  early  ser- 
vices at 47 

Signatures  of  bishops .     .  240  note 
Signers    of    Declaration    of 
Independence,         mostly 

Churchmen 133 

Sisterhoods 296 

Skinner,  Bishop     .    ,      123,  124 


PAGE 

Slaves,  baptism  of .     .     .     .       54 
Smith,  the  Right  Rev.  B.  B., 

D.D 219,  261 

Smith,  Captain  John  ...  10 
Smith,  the  Right  Rev.  Robert, 

D.D 131,  188,  189 

Smith,  Sir  Thomas  ...  14 
Smith,    the    Rev.   William, 

D.D.  (of  Connecticut).    .     203 
Smith,    the   Rev.    William, 

D.D.  (of  Maryland)  137, 152, 156 
Smith,    the   Rev.    William, 

D.D.  (of  Pennsylvania)  165,  222 
Smithfield,        S.        Luke's 

Church 30  7ioie 

South    Carolina,   early   ser- 
vices in 31 

South  Church,  Boston  .  .  63 
South,  University  of  the  .  246, 
306,  307 
Southern  Chuirlimaji,  The.  311 
Southgate,  the  Right  Rev. 

Horatio,  D.D.    .     .     .  275-278 
Sparrow,  the  Rev.  William, 

D.D 236 

S.P.C.K 58 

S.P.  G.,  origin  of   ...     .       61 
,,        early  missionaries  of     36 
„         indebtedness         of 
American  Church  to  .     62,  89, 

90,  134 
Sprigg,  the  Rev.  D.  F.,  D.D.  311 
Stained  glass,  introduction  of  239 

Standard  Bible 210 

Standard  of  the  Cross,  The  .  311 
Statistics  of  Church  growth     346, 

347 
Stipends  of  the  clergy     34,  52,  62 
Stone,  Governor  William     .       60 
Stringfellow,  the  Rev.   Ho- 
race, D.D 296 

Sunday-schools,  first  .  .  .  309 
Sunday-School  Union  .  .  309 
Surplices  ...  35,  324-326,  344 


390 


INDEX 


Swedesboro,      N.     J,,      S. 

George's  Church  .  .  47,  201 
"  Sweet-scented  parishes  "  .  52 
Syle,  the  Rev.  H.  W.  .  .  295 
Symonds,  the  Rev.  Dr.  ,     .         6 

Talbot,  the  Rev.  John    39,  43, 
89,  106,  107,  108 
Talbot,     the     Right     Rev. 

Joseph  C,  D.D.  ...  245 
Taxes  levied  for  the  support 

of  the  Church     .     .     .34,179 
Taylor,  the  Right  Rev.  Ralph  107 
309 
57 
92 
222 
274 
212,303- 
307 
42 
32 


Temperance  work  .  . 
Temple,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Tenison,  Archbishop  . 
Terrick,  Bishop  .  . 
Texas,  mission  to  .  . 
Theological  seminaries 


Thomas,  the  Rev.  John  .     . 
Thomas,  the  Rev.  Samuel     . 
Thompson,  the  Right  Rev. 

H.  M.,D.D 

Thompson,  the  Rev. Thomas 


3" 

268 

299 


Thorn,  the  Rev.  Mr.  .     , 
Thruston,  Charles  M.      .     .     132 
Tobacco,    medium   of  pay- 
ment         52-54,  62 

Toleration,  religious   .     .     59-61 
Torkillus,  the  Rev.  Riurus  .       27 
Trenton,  N.  J.,  General  Con- 
vention in 197 

Trenton,  N.  J.,  S.  Michael's 

Church 47 

Trinity  Church,  New  York 

34.  335-337 
Trinity  College,  Hartford  215,  307 
Trtw  Catholic,  The  ...  328 
Tryon,  Governor  ....  77 
Turkey,  mission  to  ...  275 
Turner,  the  Rev.  S.  II ,  D.D.  304 
Tyng,  Dudley  Atkins      .     .     202 


PAGE 

Tyng,  the  Rev.  Stephen  H., 
D.D 202,  33c 

Unity,  Church       176-178,  196, 

312-318,  319 

University  of  Michigan   .     .     308 

,,         of  the  South    246,  307 

Upjohn,  Richard   .     .     .     .     336 

Van  Dyke,  the  Rev.  Henry  145 
Vaughan,  the  Rev.  Edward  47 
Vesey,  the  Rev.  William     36-38, 

335 
Virginia,  early  charters,  set- 
tlements, and  records  of    4-21, 
50,  lOI 
Virginia  Theological  Semi- 
nary       212,  305 

Warming  churches  .  .  .  342 
Warren,  Dr.  Joseph  .  .  .  131 
Washington  College  .  215,  307 
Washington,  George  132,164,341 

Watts,  John 337 

Watts,  Robert 337 

Waymouth  (or  Weymouth)  5,  7 
Weathersfield,  conference  at  196 
Welsh,  William  .281,  297,  332 
Welton,     the     Right     Rev. 

Robert,  D.D.  .  106,  107,  108 
Wesley,   the  Rev.   Charles, 

condemns     his    brother's 

doings 174,  175 

Wesley,   the  Rev.    Charles, 

in  Georgia 77 

Wesley,  the  Rev.  John,  his 

relations  to  the  Episcopate  1  73, 
174 
Wesley,  the  Rev.  John,   in 

Georgia 77"^° 

Wesley,  the  Rev.  John,  and 

Sunday-schools  ....     309 

West,  missions  to  the      244,  245, 

268 


INDEX 


391 


PAOE 

West,  the  Rev.  William  .  .  148 
Westchester  County,  N.  Y., 

early  services  in  ...  35 
Western  Theulogical  Semi- 
nary, at  Chicago  .  .  .  306 
Weyman,  the  Rev.  Robert  .  45 
Wheeler,  Tolman,  M.D.  .  306 
Whipple,    the    Right    Rev. 

H.  B.,  D.D 281 

Whitaker,  the  Rev.  Alexander  15 
White,  the  Rev.  John  .  16,  69 
White,     the     Right     Rev. 

William,  D.D.    .    84,  104,  105, 
159-161,  221 
Whitefield,  the  Rev.  George  33,  80 
Whitehouse,  the  Right  Rev. 

Henry  J.,  D.D.      236,  260,  342 
Whittingham,      the     Right 

Rev.  W.  R.,  D.D.      250,  288, 
309,  328-330 
Wickford,  S.  Paul's  Church, 

30  no^e 
Wilkins,    the    Rev.     Isaac, 

D.D 200 

Wilkinson,  the  Rev.  William  25 
William  III.,  King  .  .  44,88 
William  and  Maiy  ...  5 
William  and  Mary  College  .  56 
Williams,  the  Rev.  Eleazer  .     269 


Williams,  the     Right    Rev. 

C.  M.,  D.D 279 

Williams,    the    Right    Rev. 

John,  D.D 75  7ioh^ 

Williamsburg,  Va.,  meeting 

of  clergy  at 136 

Williamsburg,  Va.,  proposed 

see  at 92 

Williamson,  the  Rev.  Atkin  32 
Wilmer,     the    Right    Rev. 

Richard  H.,  D.D.  ...  252 
Wilmington,  General  Con- 
vention at 155 

Wilmington,    Old    Swedes' 

Church  at 27,  30 

Wingfield,  Edward -Maria   .  8 

Wolcott,  Governor  Oliver    .  211 

Wolfall,  Master      ....  2 

Wolley,  the  Rev.  Charles    .  33 

Wong,  the  Rev.  Kong  Chai  275 
Worship,    perils    attending 

public 39,  57,  73 

Wren,  Sir  Christopher    .     .  56 

Yale  College 40 

Yeardley,  Sir  George .  .  .  16 
Yeo,  the  Rev.  John  .  .  25,  31 
Young,  the  Right  Rev.  J.  F., 

D.D 222 


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